


Cada Cosa en su Tiempo.

by DapperSkull



Category: Ben 10 Series, Generator Rex
Genre: Canon - Cartoon, M/M, Non Compliant with Cartoon Network Action Pack Comics, Post Series, Small adjustments to Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-21 21:39:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14923310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DapperSkull/pseuds/DapperSkull
Summary: After successfully curing the world of its EVO epidemic, Rex's initial plan was to shut the book on that chapter of his life and enjoy peace at last. But his problems didn't end with the Cure. World Leaders are branding his brother a terrorist, and Van Kleiss along with Consortium seemingly vanished, leaving no traces behind. If he didn't have enough on his plate with his own problems alone, now he has to deal with a cynical Ben Tennyson's issues too.





	1. Tristeza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sadness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only author's notes you'll get aside for translator notes I promise:
> 
> 1) This is set directly after Genrex canon but disregards the fact that Six never regained his memories. The same goes for Ben 10. This fic is set after the series, but with no Ben Prime marriage. I love Kai tho lol don't get me wrong. His marriage with Kai exists as a possible future. Follows Ben 10,000 timeline too where Ben is said to lose his childlike glee at the age of 20 until he meets his younger self again. The Wiki states that the events that the details as to why this change happened are "unclear" but whatever it was, it sure made him tear Vilgax's squiddy ass a new one.
> 
> 2) In the show, nanites could repair Rex's injuries. This fic keeps a similar idea. For example, if his body ever were to enter a shut down period, like a restarting computer, the nanites in his body would work to keep him alive so he's not deathly malnourished. Most of his body's faculties would be on 'pause' so to speak, but he could still grow hair, nails, etc

 

 

“I’ll find a way to fix this, buddy.”

Rex’s tone carried a note of mourning although his friend was not dead. Bobo stared back at him uncomprehendingly, no sign of that human spark in his eyes. The chimpanzee gave an animalistic shriek, shaking the bars of his cage, face devoid of any recognition. Though his friend was not dead, he was no longer there. Rex had never thought to consider the EVOs who were not human to begin with. He never anticipated that administering a cure for the mutations nanites created would strip them of what seemed very much like humanity.

Visiting Bobo was the same every time Rex stopped by. The chimp was being kept in a spacious cage that once served as a Providence holding cell for EVOs. But there were none anymore. All that was left were empty cages and vacant enclosures.

Well, almost empty.

He didn’t know what compelled him to check in every day. There was never change. Nothing. The boy left disappointed every time.

“I’m sorry.” Rex hung his head, receiving only unintelligible noises in response. Slowly, he turned on a heel toward the door.

There was going to be a meeting at Providence. Though he was not officially an agent, it was mandatory that he attended. It was likely going to be about something boring, because he knew that there were issues about finance or something like that. Initially, Consortium funded Providence, then collectively the leading superpowers of the world. But now that Providence was no longer a necessary resistance against EVOs, governments were pulling back their funding. Blah blah blah. Money and Bureaucratic crap. It was all Greek to him. There were more important things to worry about. Did nobody remember Van Kleiss? He’d seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth. How could anybody worry about money when that guy was still out there? Money seemed like the _least_ of their worries.

He grinded his teeth together and kicked the ground, scuffing up the white floor. The cure was supposed to have solved everything. One big finish. Why didn’t it seem that way at times?

The meeting was in a few minutes. Rex rocked on his heels, debating whether or not he should simply bail. After all, did they really need him to be there? It wasn’t like he was a major leader or decision maker within Providence. He didn’t really have anything to bring to the table in terms of the direction this organization was heading toward.

Showing up to catch the tail end of the meeting would be fine. Rex took off into a sprint down the hall. He didn’t know where he was running to, he just wanted to blow off steam. When he was flying, everything seemed to melt away.

“Woah, where’s the fire kid?” chuckled an agent who watched him speed by toward one of the building’s exits, “Don’t forget that there’s a meeting in 10!”

“I know!” Rex shouted over his shoulder, “You won’t even have time to miss me!”

He threw himself out of the doors, sliding his goggles down his head and over his eyes. Boogie Pack materialized at his back, and Rex left Providence behind him, sailing through the air.

Curing the world of EVOs didn’t only have downsides. For one, it was nice to have more free time on his hands. He could sail the skies and cruise around freely without having to worry about fighting a hulking monster. Occasionally, there would be some freak trying to bully citizens but it was never as difficult as fighting EVOs had been for him. So, as far as positives went, looking heroic while not having to break his face on the pavement as often was pretty good.

Wind tousled his hair, shook through his clothing, and chilled him cooler under the hot summer sun. But flying didn’t take away what worries plagued his mind. Maybe nothing would help that.

Tearing into him the most was his own guilty conscious. It prodded him, mockingly jabbing,‘Why do you _really_ want to find, Van Kleiss?’ Yeah, the danger he posed was concerning. It would be better for the entire populace if the guy were locked up somewhere good and tight. Selfishly however, Rex knew that if he had somehow escaped the cure, then he still had active nanites…

Okay, flying wasn't helping this once. Solitude only left him alone with his thoughts.

Descending from the clouds, Rex landed, dropping down in what looked like a little park, complete with benches and a fountain. He never really was a fan of those pissing or crying angel ones. Last thing he wanted to think about while looking at water was someone's fluids. Gross.

His hand twitched with temptation. If he called Noah, they could hang out, and that could get his mind off of things. It would also mean ditching the Providence meeting completely. There was no doubt in his mind that blowing them off would make Knight go ballistic. He pursued his lips wondering if that was really worth it.

"Thinking hard or hardly thinking?” came an accented voice that sent unpleasant shivers up Rex’s spine. He didn't have good experiences with British accents, counting the number of times he fought people who spoke in them.

Whipping around on alert, he saw a man sitting on a bench, though Rex swore he hadn't been there when he landed. The stranger wore a white lab coat, his own set of goggles hanging from his neck.

“You seem deeply troubled by something.” The man continued, “Don't agonize over it for too long, or you’ll wind up mad. Take it from a man who knows, everything passes at its own pace. That applies to problems too. All will be well in due time, Rex.”

“Uh… huh...” Rex squinted at him suspiciously. This was setting off so many red flags, “You know who I am?”

“I don't think there's anyone on this Earth who doesn't.”

_Oh right._

“Okay... That's true.” He conceded reluctantly, “But why are you telling me this?"

“Just a few friendly words from a traveler.” The man waved off cheerfully. Despite the carefree nature of his tone, Rex was still uneasy for a reason he couldn't place. It was never as simple as that for him.

“There is something else that you need to keep in mind.” The stranger continued, “It is imperative that you not forget. It relates in part to your tenancy to let your anxiety get the better of you. Whatever may come, you must keep a handle on your emotions, especially your temper. Do not act impulsively. Now, do hurry off. You’re already late for your meeting.”

Rex stiffened.

Before he could even begin to interrogate the stranger-- No, as soon as he _blinked_ , the man had already vanished from the bench.

 _Not normal!_ That had not been normal, and Rex sure as hell wasn’t crazy. The stranger had been right there, and he’d disappeared before his very eyes.

However, like the stranger had warned, he was running tardy. Assembling his Boogie Pack for the second time that day, he took off from the ground and back to Providence Headquarters. He had planned on arriving fashionably late to begin with anyway.

 

As predicted, White Knight wasn't in a stellar mood when Rex finally showed his face an hour into their discussion. The man fixed him with a narrow eyed look through the monitor he hid behind, barking, “You might as well not have shown up at all!”

“Well it's good that you're here now.” Doctor Holiday leveled her own disapproving frown at him, “This part has to do with you.”

“Wait Doc. There's something I have to tell you--” But before he could finish detailing his trip to the park, Holiday cut him off.

“Sit down, Rex. Please, this is serious.”

Rex chanced a good guess that his encounter with a magic, vanishing British man wasn't going to be digested as the same kind of ‘seriousness’ Holiday was asking for. So he rolled his eyes and sat next to Six, making a mental note to bring it up later.

“So…” Rex trailed off, “I hear we're running out of money. Just hear me out: Providence Car wash.”

“Providence is being disbanded.” Knight informed him, speaking in the bitter tone of fact, “We are no longer deemed necessary.”

 All the joking air about Rex dissipated.

Providence was his home. It was all he had known for whatever he could remember of his life. He shot a distressed glance at Six, seeking some form reassurance. He wanted to know that… Well, he wasn't sure what he wanted to know yet. His mind was reeling from the information, but he looked to his mentor for help.

Six touched his shoulder, as if he could sort out what thoughts were going through Rex's mind.

“Don't worry.” He told him, easing part of Rex’s fears, “I'm not going anywhere.”

“But where am I going to go?” Rex asked them, looking around the room at all of them, “I've lived here for as long as I can remember. I don’t know anywhere or anything else. Plus, all my stuff’s here!”

Briefly, he considered the Salazar Family ranch, wondering if that was even an option. At least he knew he wouldn't be homeless, regardless of what was going to happen.

“Under ordinary circumstances, Caesar would have been given guardianship over you until you've reached legal adulthood wherever it is you hold citizenship.” Knight answered, and it was then that Rex realized his brother was not present in the room.

“Ordinary circumstances?” Rex snorted, “There's nothing ordinary about this, Knight.”

“You can whine about your lack of ordinary days on your own time.” The man snipped at him, “Let me finish. Salazar should have been granted custody over you, and he would have been given it too, but the United Nations are demanding he stand trial on global terrorism charges.”

“What?!” Rex’s voice rose with horror, as did he from his seat, "They can't do that!”

He jerked his head to look at Six, pleadingly.

“Six, _they can't do that.”_

“They already have. He's been taken to a detention center in The Netherlands where he's awaiting trial." Six informed him, then added more softly, “I'm sorry, Rex.”

“So what?” Rex jerked his shoulder away from Six, slamming a fist onto the table. It rattled with the force of his hand, “We are _not_   going to just sit here while they send my brother to his execution. He's the only family I have left!”

“We don't know for sure if that's going to be the final verdict, Rex.” Holiday gently said, “He's just going to stand trial for now.”

“There were other scientists involved in the project.” Rex protested, “Why aren't any of them being blamed. Why only Caesar?”

“Because there's nobody left to hold accountable. The public wants _someone_ to answer for one of the worst disasters in human history.” Knight said flatly, “And he was the one who hit the button that started the whole mess.”

“They. Can't. Do that!” Rex repeated with venom, “Do they think we didn't suffer any losses because of what happened? We lost our parents. I lost my memories. The Nanite Event sucked for everybody!”

“We know that, Rex.” Holiday agreed, “And hopefully the tribunal will take that into consideration too.”

“That still doesn't answer my question. Where... am I going to go?”

“That all depends.” Holiday touched his wrist, guiding him to sit down once more, “Ideally, you would go with one of us. But you've been called to attend Caesar’s hearing since they count you as one of his experiments.”

“I'm a person, not an experiment!"

“Nobody here is saying otherwise. I promise you, Rex.” She firmly said, "If anybody tries to suggest differently, they'll have to answer to me. All they want is proof that you're not dangerous and I could tell them that much on my own. They want to hear from you though.”

“For what? I thought this was my brother's trial, not mine.”

“If you're proved harmless that's one less thing they'll hold against your brother.” Knight said bluntly, not beating around the bush at all, “But if they decide that you're not, they may label you a weapon of mass destruction.”

And they would take Rex away. He assumed that was what they would do to him. That was why Holiday couldn't give him a straight answer as to where he was going to go. He lost his ability to speak then. Caesar’s life was riding on his shoulders, and he was so terrified that he could not even speak. How was he going to put up a defense proving that he was as human as the next guy?

“You're allowed to bring along one person to accompany you.” Six said, when Rex had gone silent for those few moments.

His eyes automatically flashed to Six.

“Can… Will you come with me?”

Six inclined his head in a nod, “Of course.”

 

***

It wasn't that he wanted to trade and have Noah’s life instead of his own, but going to the Nixon house always had a way of making Rex feel… welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Nixon always treated him like their son's friend and accepted him as if he were no different than them. He had just finished having dinner with the other boy and his parents. Now, he and Noah they were seated in front of the television playing video games.

“That's just… messed up.” Noah stated when Rex finished telling him about the situation with his brother, “Your brother wasn't the only one involved in the nanite project.”  

“He caused the explosion though…” Rex sullenly acknowledged.

“But how do they know that?”   

Noah’s words gave him pause. On screen, the character he played as was completely annihilated. The other boy was right, the only people who could have sold him out were the people who had been there at the time and survived. Gabriel Rylander, Black Knight, and-- 

“Van Kleiss...” Rex snarled, gripping the controller tight enough for it to strain under the pressure.  

“You really think it was him?”    

“He has to be involved somehow. He's the one who told me Caesar was responsible for the accident in the first place. Now he's trying to get my brother killed!”    

“Yeah but he's off the grid, Rex. If he really showed his face, he'd probably be imprisoned too for all the stuff he's pulled.”   

“Am I the only one who's concerned that the guy is still out there?”  

“No, you're not.” Noah slowly said, “But you don’t know that he was the one who ratted Caesar out. It could have been any of the others involved in the project.”   

Rylander wouldn't. He was a close family friend, so Rex ruled him out. He didn't think Meechum would turn Caesar in either, they were friends despite their disagreements. Rex couldn't see either of them trying to get Caesar executed.    

That left the ever silent Van Kleiss and Black Knight.   

He hadn't truly been thinking about Black Knight in terms of a threat level, not as much as he should have been. She had gotten away, along with the rest of Consortium. If it wasn't Van Kleiss it was probably her...

“When's the trial?” Noah asked him, defeating him again on screen.   

“Next week. Monday.”    

“Yikes.”  

“I don't want to go.” Rex agreed, setting his controller down. There was dread sitting heavy on his chest, like a heavy chunk of concrete had been placed on top of him. And he was well acquainted with that feeling.

“Well,” Noah flashed him a sympathetic look, “If you need someone to vouch for how human you are, I got your back. I mean, if you really were just a machine then you wouldn't suck so badly at video games.”

He shoved a pillow into Noah’s face, and the other boy responded by kicking him in the hip though it hardly hurt.

“Any change with Bobo?” Noah suddenly asked him, switching topics as he started a new game. Rex’s shoulders slumped and he shook his head, causing the blonde to frown.

“Is the reason you're so obsessed with Van Kleiss lately…” Noah carefully tried to phrase his words, “Does it have to do with Bobo?”

Rex stilled. Obsessed? Thanks Noah. After he had just finished telling him that he wasn't alone in his concerns.

“Rex, you're not thinking about asking him for help are you? Because I can tell you now,” His friend warily advised, “that is not going to end well. Whatever you're thinking of doing: Don't.”

“Yes, mom.” Rex drawled, “But no, I wasn't thinking about crawling to Van Kleiss. Who do you think I am, Noah?”

He was actually being partially truthful. He hadn’t been thinking about asking him for help exactly. But if they could maybe force it out of him, perhaps beat him into complying, then that wouldn’t have been so bad. They could extract what nanites he may have still had on him, then maybe reinfect Bobo.

“I know that you miss Bobo.” The blonde acknowledged, “You've been friends even longer than we have and I get that. But you always say it yourself, you can't trust Van Kleiss.”

“I know that.” Rex said defensively, lowering his controller, “I know...”

But that didn't make the idea less tempting.

In all the chaos which was his personal life, he completely forgot about the stranger in the park.


	2. Defensa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Defense

Brown eyes automatically fixated themselves with the symmetry of the tall, imposing buildings. They were blocky, rectangular looking structures reminding Rex of Legos. Somehow, that didn't make them less intimidating.

In total, they were six connected building volumes; the tallest volume, a green facade placed in the middle of the design, was the Court Tower. He stuck close to Six’s side, feeling childish for doing so. He was already far too old and had already seen far too much to be afraid of simple bureaucrats. But knowing that did nothing to calm the blood racing through his veins, his heart pounding away in preparation for what was to come. The fact that he was one of the only things keeping Caesar from a life in prison had a tight hold on the reigns of his emotions. _No pressure,_ they might as well have said to him _you just might wind up getting your brother incarcerated._

Rex didn't want to be locked away either.

Six abruptly halted. Rex very nearly went slamming into his back but managed to stop just before they could collide. He looked at his mentor with question in his eyes. Hopefully the next words out of his mouth would be a suggestion to make a run for it.

It wasn’t.

“Do you need a moment before we go in?” Six asked, turning his head slightly to look at him.

“No.” Rex quickly said, straightening to make himself taller than he actually was, “I'm great. I just want to get this over with.”

“No. You need a moment.” Six disagreed, seeing through the brave face he was putting up, “We're going to stand here until you get your breathing under control.”

His breathing?

Rex paused and sucked in one long, slower breath. Then another, and another, trying to get his breathing back down to a more controlled pace. He got just a bit better at it after each measured exhale. It had escaped his notice, but he was on the verge of hyperventilating. He wasn’t quite there yet, but he was very close.

Six patiently waited in front of him and gave him all the time in the world to get a hold of himself. Time they didn’t really have. His steadfast presence really helped Rex forget that they were on someone else’s schedule. In fact, if Six hadn’t agreed to come, Rex wasn’t certain he’d be able to summon the courage to go through with this. Without a warning, he launched himself at Six, startling the man. Rex threw his arms around him and smashed his face into his chest. He could count the number of times he'd been hugged on one hand, and yet he was sure he'd never held onto someone more tightly.

He didn't want to _go._

Six returned the hug with a one armed embrace of his own, patting him a couple of times on the back.

“Rex.” He said, waiting for him to listen,“Look at me, Rex.”  

When the boy did not readily turn his gaze up to him, Six brought his other arm up to return his hug fully, letting out a sigh.

“It doesn't matter what decision they reach.” Six stated, squeezing his shoulders, “We're fully behind you and we won't let them take you away if it comes down to that. _I_ won't allow it.”

Rex didn't verbally reply. He only nodded, choosing to believe his words. Six let him hold onto him for as long as he needed to, never once rushing him despite the busy doorway where people entered and exited. Neither of them paid the passerbys any mind.

After pulling away, they continued walking.

Outside one of the courtrooms, a scrawny bespectacled man who Rex immediately recognized was being watched by the security guards as he sat beside the door.

“Feakins?” He asked, baffled, “What are you doing here?”

Feakins seemed miserable, giving Rex a suffering look, “Oh. It's you. Don't ask _me._ Sorry, getting dragged around by guys in uniforms is never _my_ idea. There are other places I’d rather be. This bench is way too uncomfortable. I need more lumbar support, and it's too cold in here…”

Rex rolled his eyes.

“They most likely brought him along to neutralize your nanites.” Six guessed, his lips pressed tightly together, “A precaution.”

“But I cured everyone.” Rex frowned, “He shouldn't even be able to do that anymore.”

“If his abilities are to inhibit nanites and block their signals, then he may have been cut off from your cure.”

Deadzoned.

So they didn't want Rex to have access to his machines. Six said _precaution_ but it looked more like a threat.

He stepped inside the courtroom.

Immediately he decided that in terms of color, there was enough white to give Providence a run for its money. The floors were the only thing spared from eggshell hell. It was a sandy, pale brown. Beige. It was beige, but the tables to the very front of the room and along the sides were white. Monitors were present at every table. Rex assumed that those seated in front of the room were the panel of judges.

“Hola, Mijo!” Caesar waved a hand high, handcuff chain dangling off of his wrist. The woman seated next to his brother, his lawyer presumably, put a hand to his arm and lowered it with a shake of her head.

“Don't do that.”

Caesar was fitted in an orange jumpsuit, and he still had the nerve to grin at Rex like nothing was wrong. Seeing how collected his older brother was only served to infuriate him. It was more of an irritation than overt rage. He was simply growing real tired of watching Caesar not so much as bat a lash at the things that bothered Rex. It happened so often. Not only did he disregard his feelings about the family ranch, but he also dismissed his disgust over the evo control collars, and left him in the dark when it seemed as though he was choosing Black Knight’s side over theirs. This time the situation affected them both, and Caesar was smiling like an idiot, invalidating all of Rex’s feelings once again.

So he snapped.

“Don't talk to me.”

Caesar blinked a few times, visibly deflating with disappointment as Rex stalked passed him toward his own seat at the center of the room. Six followed him and took his own seat beside him.

It took a few moments for things to get started but every second that passed was cruel agony ticking by, only prolonging the inevitable. Rex was dimly aware of a camera recording the proceedings.

“State your name for the court please.” He was asked.

“Uh, Rex. Rex Salazar.”

“Do you solemnly affirm that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you under pains and penalties of perjury?”

Rex nodded before realizing that they were waiting for him to actually say the words, “Yes.”

“How old are you, Mr. Salazar?”

“Seventeen.”

“That's awfully young. You've already done so much for someone your age.” The prosecutor noted, “Do you know why we've asked you to be present here today?”

Rex remained thoughtful for a beat of silence, wondering how to phrase his answer in a way which could be felt universally. Though, the very fact that he had to ponder over how to be relatable made him feel _less_ human somehow. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say. Distractedly, his eyes slowly strayed to Six. And that’s when an idea hit him.

Family.

It had to be family. Regardless of whether it was forged through blood or bond, it was a value held important to most people. Humans cared and formed attachment to others. They loved others.

“You want to rip me away from my family.” Rex answered, his voice smoldering with accusation, “If you slap a label on me, it makes it easier for you. Because then, I'm not the same as you and it's alright to lock me away and forget about me.”

He was proud of himself for not being impulsive and blurting out an answer. He mentally patted himself on the back for that one. Six stiffened beside him, and Rex wondered if the man was surprised he'd come up with that on his own.

“We want to make certain you pose no threat to the safety of the public.” A judge corrected him, not appearing swayed by his attempt to morally guilt trip. Rex felt his jaw clench in irritation. Was essentially saving the goddamn world not enough for them?

“People are safer now more than ever!” Rex argued, _“ Because_ of me.”

“You solved a crisis that only existed because of your brother and parents.”

Rex’s fists tightened where they rested on the table. So the blame was going to fall on his mother and father. Not the Consortium for plotting to twist all their hard work to suit their own malicious purposes. His mom and dad couldn’t even defend themselves because they were _dead._ This was slander.

“You make mention of your family, Mr. Salazar.” The prosecutor said, “Who are you referring to if Violeta and Rafael Salazar are deceased?”

“My brother.” Rex answered firmly, “And Rebecca Holiday. And Agent Six. And White Knight. Providence is my family.”

“There are multiple Providence files that refer to you as a weapon. Are you aware of that?”

Rex was hardly offended, but was unsure of what they were getting at. Yes, he'd already known that. It wasn’t a secret that he was considered Providence's most valuable asset. This was not news to him.  

“Mr. Salazar, is it a stretch to say that you allowed yourself to be weaponized by the people you consider your family?”

“Yeah, I did. Against _EVOs!”_  How was that indicative of how much of a threat he was? That was just total bullshit.

"Against EVOs.” The Prosecutor agreed, “In those particular instances, your actions may have proved beneficial for humanity on a whole. However, there is other evidence which suggests that there was a length of time prior to your recruitment into Providence where you let yourself be used as a force for harm. Do you remember a man who went by the name of Quarry? You were one of his top enforcers."

Rex froze.

Six leaned over to whisper to him, “Be careful with what and how you say things, Rex. They're trying to imply that the people close to you are the real decision makers who pick and choose your targets."

He nodded jerkily in response, trying to contain himself.

“Yeah, I know who he is.” He answered flatly, “But I don't remember anything passed four years ago. I'm an amnesiac.”

The damning monitor sitting at his table flashed to life, as did everyone else’s so to make sure they were all on the same page. Footage began to play, grainy security feed of a city. There were shops open for business, inviting lights which flashed ‘open’ in foreign letters. People were going about their day and Rex recognized himself on that feed as soon as he got in view of the camera. Or rather, it wasn't him, but a much younger version of himself.

People parted like the sea when his video counterpart’s arm became a hulking, metallic sword, tearing through one of the food stands. He watched himself shake down the owner of the stand for cash, and heard a disappointed, ' _Oh Rex...’_ from Caesar’s table. Rex could not take his eyes off the screen. He couldn't breathe, feeling the shame flood through him. It kept building until he felt it welling hotly behind his eyes.

“Rex was little more than a child at the time this video was recorded. He was under the care of a crime boss who is now dead. So we don’t know the measures he took in order to gain Rex’s obedience. It's unreasonable to fault him for that.” Six spoke up in his defense because Rex was rendered momentarily speechless.

“I can’t remember why I did that.” Rex agreed when he found his words again, though his voice had become uncharacteristically small, “I don't know why I hurt those people, or what Quarry did to get me to follow his orders, or what he could have possibly promised me. But I was… I was just a _kid._ I'm sorry, but that's not me anymore.”

“‘What he could have promised you?’ So if someone asked you to perform a task and promised you something in return, you would do it?” The prosecutor questioned, “Because you've accepted money in exchange for exterminating EVOs before. This was not more than a year ago, so you must remember. There are commercials.”

No. No, that was completely different. Not even his most desperate wishes involved getting people hurt to obtain them. His most recent riskiest thought, barely even a plan, involved looking for Van Kleiss. Not to bargain with him, nor was it because he wanted to strike a deal. It was tempting, but only because he wanted Bobo back to normal-- Er, _his version_ of normal. That wasn’t wrong. It couldn’t have been wrong to miss someone so badly. Nothing else could be more _human_. Wasn’t that the subject up for debate here?

“Stop… Stop twisting things like that!” Rex finally shouted, rising roughly from his seat. His palms landed harshly against the surface of his desk, a resounding smack echoing through the room. The table quaked and a hushed silence fell over the courtroom. That was the moment he knew that he had lost whatever game it was they were playing. He had tripped over every verbal hurdle they had placed in his way, and now it was over.

Six put a hand on his elbow, but failed to pull him back down to his seat.

“Rex. You have to calm down. You're not helping matters at all.” His mentor warned but it was much too late already. He had shown what qualified as a display of violence. Being who he was, it was enough to prove that he could be considered a possible danger. If he had use of his nanites, he wouldn't have used them against these old men, but there was no way for them to know that. It no longer mattered what Rex said, because they wouldn’t _care._ He’d lost and he knew it too.

“We've reached a decision.” The main judge announced, “Rex Salazar cannot be released to the public now that EVO threats have been eliminated. Evidence has shown that his power can potentially be weaponized at the risk of civilians should he be manipulated...”

Slowly, the boy sunk back into his seat. He buried his face into his arms, slumping against the table as they read off the rest of his fate. But by then he couldn't hear it anymore.

*** 

 

It wasn't like Six could go up against what had been decided by international court and Rex understood that much. He hadn't even brought his weapons to the hearing because it had not been permitted. Providence had picked their share of fights before but never like this. They would be crushed, especially now more than ever. So he had to do as he was told. There was nothing he could do about it either. He was walking straight into confinement, handing over his own freedom with each step he took.

Only the floor held his gaze, because if he looked up... he was embarrassed that...

Well, that he'd cry or something stupid like that. It was so stupid that he couldn't look up.

An armored van was parked outside, ready to transport him and Feakins to an undisclosed location, but the judges were courteously allowing Rex to say his goodbyes. Just not to Caesar. They didn't even let him see his brother outside of the courtroom.

In heavy silence, he stood outside with Six, unsure of what to say to him. He wanted so badly to say something, anything, because it could have been the last time he would ever see him again. He remembered in clichè movies, when something terrible was going to happen to a parental figure. How their kids would wish that they could take back every misbehaving thing they'd done. Rex felt none of this. He held even those moments dear, and wished that someone would allow him even more time. More time to misbehave and annoy Six. More time that he could spend with him and the rest of Providence.

"This isn't a goodbye.” Six assured in a low tone of voice so not to be overheard, “This is only temporary. One way or another, we're going to get you out, Rex."

Rex didn't believe him. He flashed Six a watery smile and tried to crack a joke instead, "Yeah? Well, hurry it up before I get any older. What's the point of getting out if I'm sixty, y’know? All shriveled and gross. At that point, just leave me in there, thanks."

Six didn't say anything. He just let Rex compose himself, and for that the boy was thankful. Taking a deep breath, he stole a glance at the armored van. He had a feeling it was going to be dark in there. Rex _hated_ the dark. It wasn't so much that he was afraid of it, he simply enjoyed and preferred the light more. It was less claustrophobic that way. It made him wonder how much light he was going to get once they imprisoned him. Would he ever get the opportunity to see sunlight again? He wished they weren't currently so up North. It was so cold, and there was so much snow that he wouldn't even get a final moment to appreciate the sun on his skin.

"Tell Doc I love her." He said as security neared, most likely to let them know that their time was up. Rex hurried out the rest of his requests, "And tell White Knight I'll even miss him and his stupid chores. And don't forget to visit Bobo once a day or he'll get lonely. And tell Noah--"

"Time's up." The guard said, ushering Rex toward the van. Feakins was being helped into the passenger side of the van by a different guard.

Rex shot Six one last look over his shoulder.

"I'll be okay, Six." He insisted, flashing him a half-smile. He kept his expression strong, unafraid, not wanting the man to worry about him too much. So he hid the weaknesses which wanted so badly to break him down and have him beg for Six to save him.

Six nodded to him in kind and if he saw through his act, he indicated nothing. Rex wanted to believe that Providence was coming back for him, but he couldn't predict the future. He didn't know what was going to happen.

He looked away, stepping into the back of the van. It was when they shut the doors, when he was finally enveloped by darkness that he sank to the floor and pulled his knees to his chest.

He _really_ hated the dark.


	3. Cuídate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take Care of Yourself.

The problem, as it so turned out, was not in the lighting at all. No, his room was illuminated quite well, with artificial bulbs rather than sunlight. At a certain hour every day, they would automatically shut off, and Rex assumed that by then it was nightfall. So as far as sources of light went, he didn’t have much to complain about because he knew that it could have been much worse. They could have shoved him in a dungeon somewhere.

He was kept from knowing the exact location of where he had been delivered to, given a room with no windows or exits other than a single metal door which could not be opened from the inside. He had a single bed which stuck out from the wall, but oddly enough no sheets or a pillow. He wondered why that was and, because he was given absolutely nothing to occupy his time with, spent too long of a time trying to figure out how bed sheets and a pillow could be used lethally. He kept drawing up blanks, perhaps because he only ever associated these things with sleep. It couldn’t be that he wasn’t creative.

The only other things in his room were a toilet and sink.

That was it.

“...that's why I never recommend anyone clean crystals in water unless you are absolutely sure you know what you’re doing. My crystal lost all of its shine and was way too rough. It was horrifying-”

The real problem lay not in the lighting, but in the company. Feakins would _not_ shut up, and it would have been alright with Rex if he didn’t switch back and forth between the same three topics continuously: Rocks, complaints about how uncomfortable he was, wanting to go home, then repeat.

Having a roommate like him around made him miss having Bobo all the more. Though the chimp had been a messy roommate and was prone to stinking up any given place, his companionship could not be replaced by anybody. Sharing his living space with Feakins only reminded Rex of how much he wasn’t like his best friend, of how different it was sharing his space with someone new. The stark contrast between the two of them was painful, and it made it too easy to resent him.

He had been putting up with his presence for what he estimated to be a few weeks, and in that time he had received no word on Caesar. Now and then, guards would slide open a narrow opening on the door and bring them trays of food. He had tried asking them for any news about his brother. Rex didn’t know what the ruling on his case had been, whether he was being kept in a similar condition, or something worse.

If he was even _alive._

The guards were unhelpful. The kinder ones attempted to let him down easy when they said they couldn’t provide him with answers, either because they didn’t know or couldn’t say. Crueler guards just snarled at him to shut up, and jostled the trays of food so most of it ended up on the floor. It was uncalled for. It made Rex seethe within the tiny confines of his room. He didn’t even try to figure out what he could have possibly done to deserve the harsh treatment, never having met these people prior to his imprisonment. But they’d succeeded in pissing him off to the extent of no longer caring if he _had_ done something to offend them. He was glad for it. _Good,_ he thought, viciously stabbing at his food.

But the lack of real answers did little to hinder Rex’s pursuit to find out what had happened to Caesar.

It was a routine.

“Can you please just tell me what happened at the end of The Salazar trial?”

He would ask the same thing every time.

“Sorry kid, I can’t help you.”

And day in and day out, he got back the same results.

After another unsuccessful attempt at snaking information out of his jailers, he retreated to the furthest corner of his room, knees pulled up to his chest, glaring resentfully down into his breakfast oatmeal. He assumed it was breakfast anyway. His sense of time had been destroyed, now entirely dependent on when the lights were shut of. Guesswork.

“Who’s that guy you keep asking about?” Feakins asked him, finally straying away from his usual conversation topics.

Rex considered ignoring him.

“The Salazar guy.” Feakins asked again, “You keep asking about him even though the guards keep telling you that they don’t know. Don’t you ever talk about anything else?”

The last nerve keeping Rex together was lost. He gave a harsh laugh, making the man flinch.

“That’s rich coming from you, Feakins.” He was surprised he kept his voice even, because he felt like screaming. That didn’t mean there was no acid in his tone, “The only things you think are interesting enough to talk about are a bunch of pebbles. Let me let you in on a little secret: Nobody. Cares. I’m sick of sharing a room with you. Just do us both a huge favor and shut up. **”**

His roommate averted his eyes quickly, but since there was no real place to hide for privacy’s sake, they were stuck sitting there in awkward silence.

Then...

“Jeez. No need to be touchy, guy.”

Rex rolled his eyes and dipped his spoon into his oatmeal. He knew he was behaving like an ass but he didn't feel like being nice at the moment.

“Look, I get it, Feakins. Trust me, I do.” He leveled with him, “You have a normal life you want to get back to. This must really bite for you and it's kind of my fault, so I'm sorry for that. But neither of us want to be here, dude. If it were up to me, we wouldn't be.”

“It is kind of your fault.” He agreed wholeheartedly, “They only want me here because of you--”

At first it seemed like he was going to begin complaining about how this was Rex’s entire fault.

“--but not many people would apologize for something indirectly their fault, even if it basically ruined someone’s life. And not many people apologize to me at all… So, thanks.”

Slowly, Rex nodded, but he thought it kind of bizarre. His apology had been an offhand addition, half-assed and barely even genuine, but it had seemed to pacify his cellmate. Was that the only thing he wanted this entire time?

“So who is he? Caesar Salazar. The name sounds familiar.” Feakins prodded once more.

Rex kept his eyes down at his food, moving around the contents inside.

“You’ve met him before… sort of. He was pretending to work for Black Knight when she had you kidnapped by Providence. Caesar is my brother. The trial you were taken to was for him.”

“Ohh. Is he in trouble for taking her side?”

He shook his head, “No… He helped create nanites. He’s ‘in trouble’ because they’re blaming him for the EVO outbreak.”

“Yeesh." Feakins mused, "No wonder the guards have been ruining our food.”

“What?”

“Life ruining has got to run in your family. I’m guessing maybe some of the guards blame your brother too. They must really hate him... and you. Sorry, guy."

Rex hadn't even thought about that. It had never crossed his mind. Of course he knew that EVOs were destructive or that people's loved ones had mutated into them. He knew that a lot of people had been hurt. He simply hadn't put two and two together, hadn't considered that the guards might have been taking their losses out on him. He felt dense now, and even though he held something akin to empathy for them, the explanation didn't completely cool his ire towards them.

“I don't care if they do.” He replied, pulling a small scowl.

The metal door slid open with a swift clang. Rex tensed, looking up at the two guards who stood there _bravely_ armed with weapons and armor, as if either of the two prisoners posed any sort of risk to them.

“Shower time, ladies.” One of the guards gestured his gun toward the door, “You know the drill.”

Rex slid his tray away and stood up with a grimace, heading toward the door. Back home, he reserved showers for after missions. They were warm, relaxing, and served to unknot his tense muscles. Here, they were only cold and felt like a chore rather than a way to loosen up after a long day. He and Feakins were lead toward separate shower rooms, and the door was opened for Rex via keycard.

“You have ten minutes.” The guard stated.

He stepped into the room and it shut behind him. Once he was alone, Rex washed up as quickly as he could before time could run out. The harsh spray of the water had his teeth chattering as he scrubbed his hair and skin clean. He was trembling from the temperature by the time his ten minutes were over, ears and nose having numbed.

The blast of water was shut off, and that was cue for him to get moving and get dressed. He hadn't been given a towel to dry himself off, so he just pulled his clothing on, dampening them in the process.

Rex was lead back to his room after that, noting that Feakins hadn't made it back yet. That was odd. Usually they were returned to their room at the same time. He took a seat on the bed, attempting to warm up after the shower.  

A moment later, the door slid open again. He expected his roommate, but he was not there. Instead, a woman in a white lab coat stood there with a guard. There was a painful tug on the strings of his heart, but the lab coat is where her similarities with Holiday ended. He was automatically wary of her.

“Hold out your arm.” She instructed, no nonsense about her. He didn't have a choice really, hesitating before holding it out. His shoulder was stuck with a needle and he hissed as he was injected with some kind of substance.

“What… was that?” Rex asked when she had pulled away from him, leaving his skin with an angry red mark. Sore, he rubbed it with a palm.

“You will no longer be sharing a room.  We developed a new method to suppress your abilities using Feakins’ blood samples. It's more efficient this way.” She stated, heading toward the door without a second glance.

“He's… gone?” Rex asked slowly, but received no answer.

The doors were shut, the metallic slide containing a note of finality in it.

 

 

Silence took place of the idle chatter that Feakins had once filled the room with. The guy had probably been returned home, back to his normal life, where all of this would be just a bad memory for him.

Rex envied him.

He thought he would feel relief now that the guy was gone, but it was just the opposite. In solitude, everything was worse. Formerly, there had been someone there to suffer with him and share in his pain as horrible as that sounded, but now he just felt completely alone.

For some reason, White Knight came to Rex's mind. After he had been stripped of his nanites, he was stuck suffering in captivity too. He had to wonder how the man was able to stand it and what he was doing now. Rex hoped that in his absence, Knight had finally stepped out of his shell to enjoy his freedom. He had spent years in his isolated chambers because he was the only man on the planet without nanomachines in his system. Now, Rex was going to spend years in isolation for being one of the last humans to still have them active.

They didn’t even allow Rex a phone call or letters home. He had no contact with the outside world whatsoever, not even minor news like current events. Slowly, by the hours, he felt the connection between himself at the rest of the world being severed. He knew that eventually he was going to be buried by time. He wondered how long it would take to be forgotten. But...

But Six had promised they were coming for him.

He promised.

Rex bit the inside of his cheek.

He had to believe that.

“Can you please tell me if you have any information about my brother? His name is Caesar Salazar.” Rex asked pathetically through the slit in the door that slid open when his food was being delivered, "He was on trial I don’t know how long ago. Please? I just want to know.”

Suddenly, he was filled with overwhelming hope when the woman answered. Because she paused and said, “Yeah actually. There was a video message that arrived here about the Salazar trial.”

“A message?”

“Yeah, it came in a few weeks ago.”

Weeks ago?

“What?!” Rex demanded incredulously, “Why didn’t anyone say anything?!”

“We were advised by the higher ups to give it to you at our discretion.”

That revelation was such a kick in the teeth. They’d known the outcome of his brother's case all along. They had purposely deprived him of that knowledge. And for what? They didn’t have to do that but they chose to anyway. It was at their discretion. It wasn’t necessary. So why?

“When will you let me see it?” He asked, hurt coloring his tone. Because god did it hurt, being barred from knowing for this long.

The guard took a step back, “I’ll go ask. Hang tight, I’ll be back.”

He didn’t even touch his plate of food. He waited by the door with a sense of desperation thrumming through his body, like a dog waiting to be thrown a bone. He had to know. He _had_ to know.

The woman returned as she said she would, slipping a video player through the door.

“When you’re done with it, leave it by the door with your tray and someone will be around to collect it with your plates.” She instructed, and left him with it.

His breath hitched. Without sparing another second, he sat cross legged on the ground and hit the play button.

On the dirty, fingerprinted screen, an image of his brother appeared, proving that he was very much alive. Rex let out a huge breath of relief, feeling as though his accumulated stress had been drained out of his body all at once.

The one thing that struck Rex as strange was that he wasn’t giving the camera his sunny smile. He looked solemn for once.  He found that he disliked it, as much as it annoyed him when Caesar did not take certain issues with the severity they needed to be handled with.

“Hello, I’m Caesar Salazar.” He greeted with a forced smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “I'm one of the last surviving inventors involved in the creation of nanites. The only other respectable member alive today is Dr. Peter Meechum. Unfortunately, our little invention caused some bit of trouble for all of you over the years...”

His smile turned sheepish.

“That wasn’t the initial goal of our project. Things… got out of hand you can say, and my hand was forced by those who funded our research. They wanted to use our work to make themselves into gods. I felt that the only way to stop them was to destroy our research. I apologize for any disruption in your lives that was caused by my actions. Please understand that at the time, I _did_ give thought to how the Nanite Event would impact the daily lives of other people. The explosion was not caused without taking into consideration the rest of the world. It was simply clear from my standpoint that your momentary discomfort was but a small sacrifice to make when compared to the consequences that would have followed if the Consortium had succeeded in their plans. Not many people see it my way.” His brother gave a little dissenting hum, “A difference in opinion I suppose, and that is fine. So I’ve been sentenced to my execution.”

All at once, the wash of relief Rex had previously been feeling at the sight of his brother vanished. Stricken with panic, he found that he could not move a muscle. He couldn’t _do_ anything. Nothing but a choked sound left his mouth.

“I would like to close by saying to Dr. Meechum that I still consider us friends. I hold no animosity toward you for telling officials that I was responsible for the lab explosion--”

So… It hadn’t… been… Van Kleiss…

“--since you weren’t present at the time anyway. It wouldn’t be very fair to you if you were given part of the blame, when you couldn’t have been aware of what I was doing until after the fact. And of course, I know you have a daughter that you can't leave without a father.

“To Providence, thank you for looking after my troublesome little brother. It is regrettable that I was not there to see him grow up. Ah well, at the very least I know he was in good hands.

"Which brings me to the final person I must address before I go. Rex,” Caesar’s smile became affectionately warm, “I owe you the most apologies, mijito. I’m afraid I’m out of time to make it up to you.”

No.

“I know there are many things you still don’t understand, and I haven’t done a very good job of explaining them to you. But you have already become so smart, so strong, so good without me or our parents. I _know_ you are good. You are much more than just a weapon. You have to remember that your family, we love you _so_ much.”

 

No. No. NO.

 

“Please, continue taking care of yourself. And… continue being good.”

 

Caesar's smiling face faded, screen going dark and cracking beneath Rex's fingers.

“No!” Moisture gathered in his eyes, but he was unable to keep it at bay this time. Rex was crying, _really_ crying, tears streaming down his cheeks. Furiously, he turned to strike at the wall of his room until his skin became a blotchy red, soon to be purple from repeated impact.

The last thing he had said to his brother, his very last words to Caesar had been in the form of an irritated snap at the court tower. That’s how Caesar was going to remember him.

“Don’t hurt him, don’t hurt him, don’t kill my brother, please!” He was begging now, and stopped his assault on the perimeter of his enclosure. His shoulders shook with sobs, he choked on them, palms slipping defeatedly down the cold wall. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it wouldn’t make a difference. The woman had said that this message had been delivered to the facility weeks ago, “Please!"

There was no answer.

 

Caesar was now gone--

 

No, he had probably been gone for days already.

 

Rex hadn't even known.


	4. Mil Millones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A billion years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bienvenido camarada = welcome comrade!

Part of love was the ache of enduring grief.

In death, Caesar had taken with him what felt like the last remnants of a life Rex couldn’t fully remember, fragmented memories he’d only been clinging to through his brother. Now, they were made into jagged shards, untouchable without first splintering himself. Caesar had died but so had pieces of Rex.

For him, time had been suspended within the silver walls of his prison. He ceased trying to count the days that crawled by. Providence wasn’t coming for him, that was a fact he needed to get used to. In the course of having their organization disbanded, their property would likely be seized. Couple that with the fact that not even he knew where they’d hidden him, and the odds were left unfairly stacked against their favor.

Selfishly, so very selfishly, the boy began to regret curing the world. Spite had little to do with it. It was not resentment at the lack of gratitude he received, but the price which turned out to be more than he wanted to pay. It costed Rex everything he had from friends, to family, and now his freedom too. The world had been saved. What did it say of him that he wished it hadn’t been? 

Nothing good probably.

 

_ ‘ _ _ And… continue being good.’ _

 

Rex scoffed at the ceiling. What was that even supposed to mean? The request was such a funny one coming from Caesar of all people. What did he know about  _ good _ ? They had an entire panel of judges who seemed to believe that neither of them had a strong grasp of what constituted right and wrong. So he couldn’t exactly be blamed for having bittered sentiments. 

 

_ What choice do I have but to be good anymore? _

 

He didn’t get choices. That was gone, taken from him by his former self’s doing.

 

A new hatred for Quarry festered within him, but he couldn’t say that the man hadn’t received what had been coming to him. As an EVO, the crime boss had been reduced to bits of shattered rock. After the cure, he couldn’t have survived as chunks flesh and bone when returned to his human state. It gave Rex some satisfaction, some comfort to know that he had suffered up until the moment of his death. He just wished that he could remember his reasons for having obeyed the man in the first place. If he knew, then perhaps he could tell them…

 

What? What would he tell them?

 

The lights of his cell were shut off for the night.

 

Rex did not move. 

 

He sent whispers to distant loved ones, like prayers nearly, as though they were there before him. As though they could hear any word of it. He didn’t move when the lights flickered back on, nor did he stir when food was delivered, or when he was commanded to get up. He was still as the The Nanite Event faded from the minds of the people, becoming only but a nightmare of the past.

Time left him locked him in one still moment. A ghost, always there, always awaiting people who would never come for him. Eventually, he didn’t open his eyes at all. 

 

Thus, 1095 days passed by.

 

***

 

Rex was roused from his sleep by the urgency in a rough shake he received from a prison guard. His eyes slowly opened, gaze falling on the man who had jostled him to consciousness.

The man was not wearing his helmet or his armor. He still wore a vest and alarm written starkly across his face, sheened with nervous sweat. A rifle was strapped to his back, two additional guns holstered at his sides.

“Fucking move it.” The guard hissed, “I've been assigned to move you to a new facility. Wake up. Wake the fuck up!”

His cursing was really, really irritating. 

Rex sat up, black spots filling his vision before everything became clearer as the blood rushed from his head. He wasn't given that much time to get properly orientated, jerked to his feet at once.

“I said  _ move _ .”

“Let go...” Rex mumbled, halfheartedly tugging his arm back. His hair was… longer. Shaggy and untamed, it tickled the sides of his neck. He was unable to sort through his confusion, pushed forward into moving.

“Then get walking!”

Rex stumbled forward on awkwardly unsteady legs. His coordination was  _ bad _ . He didn't know what was happening, what was going on, or why they were rushing him out of the building. All he  _ did _ know was that as soon as he was out those doors, touched by the air of the cool night, he nearly fell to his knees. 

Awestruck, he tilted his head back, blinking dumbfoundedly.

“Are you stupid or what? Get in the van.” His guard nudged him forward, looking over his own shoulder. Rex got into the vehicle without much of a fight. His head was much too cloudy for that, trying to catch up with the rest of himself. He performed the actions commanded of him, but felt that he was simply a watching passenger within his own body.

“Where are you taking me?” He asked, passively staring out of the window as the vehicle kicked into gear. The scenery flew by, vineyards and trees bathed in milky white under the pale moon. Rex wanted to soar beneath its light too. He could vaguely remember having flown once, distantly like some sort of faraway dream. 

“Don't ask questions. Just sit there and shut it.”

Rex narrowed his eyes. The numbness in his head was slowly ebbing, a spark of energy jump starting him into a state of wakefulness.

“What’s your problem?” He spat at the guard, “You don’t think I notice you shaking like a freaking chihuahua? You’re scared. ”

The guard tensed, still trying to mask his skittishness with machismo.

“What happened?” Rex prodded for information, “What are you so scared of?”

“I said shut it, EVO!”

Rex’s teeth gnashed together, and he was going to say something scathing when it stopped just at the tip of his tongue. He and the guard were running from something.

 

_ Someone _ more likely.

 

A surge of excitement made the night seem brighter somehow. It had to be them. It had to be Providence. Finally, they had come for him.

 

Well, he wasn’t going to do this guy any favors.

 

Rex lunged over toward the driver’s seat of the van, seizing the wheel in both hands, jerking it left in an effort to throw it off course.

“You  _ sonofabitch _ _!_ Are you insane?!” The guard shouted, trying to keep the van within his control. Rex only gripped tighter, making the vehicle veer left, sending it straight for a tree. The impact was something he hadn’t been prepared for though. Glass from the windshield rained down on them both and Rex’s ears rang from the shock. His widened eyes slowly took in the damage, wandering nervously over to the driver’s side. The guard's head had slammed against his steering wheel, a gash torn open at his temple. A branch had jammed its way in through the windshield and had skewered the driver straight through the shoulder, leaving his shirt sopping with blood.

Rex froze, thinking that he’d killed the man, except that he grunted in pain a second later, groaning softly.

“You idiot…” The man slurred, reaching for his gun almost blindly. But the searching hand fell after a few moments of struggle and he went completely limp. 

Immediately, Rex shook off his daze and jumped out of the vehicle. He very nearly left without sparing the driver another thought. His legs didn’t want to work though, and not only because of how clumsy they were. Lingering by the van, he groaned in frustration and threw the sky a withering glare. Trotting over to the driver’s side, he pried at the door with as much effort as he could muster. He wasn’t used to being so incredibly  _ weak _ . After retching the door open, he examined the guard's injury, trying to decide the best way to get him unpinned by the branch. Rex didn’t think he possessed the strength to snap it.  

Finally, he leaned over to adjust the seat as far back as it was capable of moving. The branch slid out of the man’s shoulder, giving off a squelch that made Rex want to squirm in disgust. He dragged the guard out of his seat and set him down on the side of the road. There was nothing he could do about the blood though. He knew next to nothing on the subject of first aid. 

So he sprinted down the road as fast as he could, not looking back at the wreck he was leaving behind. The awkward clumsiness in his legs was gone, adrenaline making him more alert and stable.

Leaping forward, he attempted to activate one of his builds but nearly tripped when they did not materialize upon command. He stumbled forward, but ultimately caught himself before he could hit the concrete and continued his mad dash down the road. So he had to wait for the serum to wear away. Back at the facility, they had a schedule for administering his injections but Rex never kept track. Maybe that would have been a good idea.

He was unsure of how far he had run, where he was, or where he was even going. He simply pushed forward until the skies began bleeding orange with the rise of the sun. It was then that he slowed to a walk, breathing heavily, fighting to catch his breath. It had been a while since he’d gotten that much exercise. His legs were left sore when, at last, he began seeing signs of civilization.

There were trucks making their morning commute, tractors too, and even sporty looking convertibles zipping through the street with lowered roofs. Such a wide range of vehicles, all drastically different from each other. He must have been approaching a town. A fruit stand stood at the corner of the long, winding road. Behind it, a man was selling strawberries underneath a colorful, rainbow umbrella.

“Hey!” Rex jogged up to him, knowing that he must have been a sight to see. Not a good one either.

Nonjudgmental, the vendor gave Rex his attention, gesturing to his strawberries, “You want to buy?”

Slowing to a walk, Rex shook his head, stopping in front of him.

“Sorry… I don’t have any cash on me. I just wanted to know where I am?”

“Where?”

“Yeah. Where am I?”

The man’s eyes creased in concentration, uncomprehending. Apologetically, the vendor gave a defeated shrug and informed, “No Inglés. Sorry.”

Rex wracked his mind trying to figure out how to communicate what he was trying to say, wondering whether or not he should just keep moving and find somebody else who could understand him. His Spanish was okay but nothing impressive. It was passable but not by much. Caesar used to tease him abo--

 

Caesar wasn’t here anymore.

 

His expression fell, fingers clenching themselves into tight fists. 

Determined, he felt compelled to make this man understand him. Even if it was just this little thing, even if it would have been much easier to find another person, he wanted to do this. Because this was important. Inexplicably, sentimentally  _ important _ for reasons he couldn't name. Like trying to find something that was lost to him. It wasn't going to change a thing at all, but it was as if Caesar was watching. 

He went over the words in his head slowly, thinking about how he wanted to pronounce his words.

 

_ Do you... know where we are… _

 

“Sabes… donde estamos?”

The Vendor understood it then, easily overlooking his accent and replying, “ _ California. Bienvenido, camarada _ .”

How the hell did he end up in California? That was some luck. Noah lived in the United States.

Rex gave him a pleased wave as he continued walking toward the town.

Without money he didn’t have many options, and he didn’t know how he could possibly get a hold of someone from Providence. He needed to find a phone so that he could try contacting someone. 

The first diner he spotted was the one he slipped into. Unlike the vendor, he did garner some stares there. It was early, so he was mostly only disturbing the elderly with his savage appearance. But old folks tended to be disturbed by many things so it probably wouldn't have mattered what he was wearing.

Awkwardly, he asked with a sheepish grin, “Anybody here got a phone I could use?”

Nobody answered him save for a tiny waitress who gestured for him to have a seat at a booth, “Sit there and hold on a sec. I’ll let you use mine.”

Gratefully, Rex nodded to her and took a seat, resting his head in his arms. Exhausted, He shut his eyes and waited for the phone. He’d been travelling all night and was beginning to feel it catch up with him.

Opening his eyes again, he glanced around the diner slowly, stomach growling when he caught a whiff of the food. His mouth watered and he sat up straighter, only to have his lips part in shock once he caught a glimpse of the television. The News Broadcast wasn’t what stole his attention from the aroma. It was the date displayed in a red banner at the bottom right corner of the screen. 

Had it really been three years?

Three entire years had passed by in what seemed like a blink of his eyes. Nobody had come for him in all that time. 

He was shaken out of his stupor by the waitress returning with her phone.

"Here you go--”

She was interrupted by the harsh swing of the door opening. It hit the wall with a crash that grabbed the attention of every one of the diner’s patrons. 

Stumbling inside was Rex’s guard. He was furious, his pistol drawn and aimed at him. His shoulder was haphazardly bandaged, and his temple was smeared with crusted blood.

The waitress screamed, ripping herself away from Rex’s side in an instant.

“You bastard. ” The guard snarled at him. 

Rex didn’t expect him to shoot but he did, and would have gotten him in the kneecap had he not flinched out of the way. He was out of his seat, running for the counter. He wasn’t quick enough. The man had him by his shoulder and yanked him backward, dragging him out of the diner.

Roughly, he was thrown onto the pavement. He yelped at the boot that was stomped into his torso, keeping him down while the man took aim at him.

"Stay down! Stay down you little shit!”

Baring his teeth, a growl ripped from Rex’s throat, from the pain and the effort he was putting into trying to throw the man off of him. 

He wasn't going to let the man have his freedom, not after having finally gotten away. He was going home. Rex's fingers closed around his former jailer's ankle, heaving the boot off of him. 

 

_ He was going home. _

 

He managed to pry the boot off, his arm shaking beneath the weight.

Then… there was nothing at all. He exhaled in a huff, his breathing becoming much easier once the weight was lifted off of him completely.

Rex blinked away the sunshine in his eyes and pushed himself up.

His guard was being in held in the air by another figure who gripped him tightly by the vest. This newcomer wore a silver helmet, a purple visor blocking all view of their face, leaving only two glimmering purple eyes visible. Their bodysuit was black, but they had silver boots, gauntlets, and a chest plate. A purple cape swung from their shoulders, rustling with the wind. At first, Rex hoped that White Knight had updated his suit, but it couldn’t be him. The body type didn’t match and White Knight? In anything other than the color white? God forbid.

“I have traversed through time.” The stranger sounded amused, “Entire galaxies. And you thought that you could hide from me?”

The guard was kicking weakly, opening his mouth only to close it once more. There was nothing he could say. He trembled in the stranger’s grip, whimpering, “No… No, please. No.”

The stranger turned his head to Rex, “I’ve been looking for friends in all the wrong places.”

“You can have him!” The guard begged with a vigorous nod, “Take him. Please, just let me go...”

“Let go of him!” Rex shouted, having realized far too late that they’d never been running from Providence. Never. It was this guy who had frightened the guards badly enough to have him moved.  

But the stranger did not release his guard. The guard stopped begging for his life and began to scream when his body began aging rapidly, becoming bone then crumbling before them. As dust, he was carried away by the breeze.

“What… What did you do to him?” Rex breathed, backing away slowly.

“I did nothing. That was Time, the fate of everyone eventually…”

The masked stranger took a step closer as Rex took several ones backward.

"Rex Salazar, it’s a pleasure. I am called Eon.” 


	5. I Remember You

 

The Galactic Enforcers were pitiable at best and clowns at worst.

It was just like them to border on the verge of whining when it came to Ben’s thorough manner in dealing with crime. He was left feeling mildly irked with Ultimos’ exasperation in him. Clearly, his priorities needed to be reevaluated if he was disappointed in the _lack_ of trouble Ben left behind for him and his team. As a child, he too had enjoyed making a spectacle of himself and the Omnitrix for the glory, but he had _grown up._

What took top priority over everything else was the safety of the people. Less trouble was a good thing. The fact that a supposedly more experienced ‘ _hero_ ’ couldn’t recognize that? It was an embarrassment.

Shoving his encounter with the alien aside, he kicked his shoes off at the door. Petty disputes were a complete waste of thought space, and how other people coped with their insecurities wasn’t his problem. Because that’s all it really boiled down to. The alien’s sense of pride was threatened.

There were three missed calls from Gwen on his phone, not that he’d been purposely ignoring her. He simply hadn’t the time to answer. She’d settled on texting him instead. These days, their lives took them in different directions and they hadn’t seen much of each other.

In her message, she inquired as to how he was ‘ _holding up,_ ’ but Ben knew better than to write it off as simple politeness. His cousin was becoming increasingly… doting. He was half thankful for the distance between them. Were it any shorter, he’d probably have to put up with her sticking her nose into the non-issues in Ben’s life. He was perfectly fine. For some reason, she didn’t believe him.

He was halfway toward his bedroom when a current of air whipped quick as a whip behind him, sending the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. It was the telltale warning breeze that preceded a fast moving object. Twisting his body around, he barely had time to move, hitting the carpeted floor to escape the massive blade that sailed overhead along with its wielder.  

It missed him by a hair’s breadth. Rather than impaling him, it struck the wall and became embedded there, clouding the air with debris. The dust from the blow flew into Ben’s eyes, but after so many years of being smashed into surfaces, ignoring the sting was almost child’s play.

Rolling onto the back to get a good look at his assailant, Ben’s breath escaped him in a rush.

 

“I… know you.”

 

Four years ago, there had been a mishap that landed him in an alternate dimension inhabited by monsters. Ben had been sixteen when he’d met Rex Salazar. At the time, there hadn't been many people that Ben could say knew what his life was like. The life of a so called hero, but what he now understood to be a childish notion of what that really was. Regardless of whether or not it was genuine heroism, Rex had been a boy he’d felt a sense of kinship with because they’d been the same in many ways.

 

Things were obviously different now.

 

His gaze trailed over the figure struggling to yank his sword free from the wall. Perhaps it wasn't within his rights to feel so taken aback. No, he didn’t know this guy, not really. He’d hardly known the other and people went through changes over time. His brows pulled together, taking in the untamed raven hair and cole black eyes fixed on Ben with intent to destroy.

 

What exactly happened to this guy?

 

“Funny. Can’t say the same about you.” Rex shot back at him.

So either he didn’t recognize him or this was a different Rex from a universe different from the one Ben had visited in the past. He would figure out soon enough. Whichever it was, he had really chosen the wrong time to do this. He’d dropped in when Ben wasn’t feeling particularly merciful, not after the long day he’d just had.

Gnashing his teeth together, he fixed Rex with a glare.

“You must be an idiot then.” To pick a fight with someone he didn’t even know, nor did research on.

There was always a motive behind why people did what they did. If he was telling the truth and had no clue who Ben was, Rex’s strings had to lead elsewhere, with someone else pulling on them. Did they think he would be hesitant against a familiar face? It was a low move, but a pathetic one. He’d probably need to hold back on strength, that was true, but not for any sap sentimental reasons. Ben wouldn’t get the answers he needed if he incapacitated Rex beyond speaking.

In a flash of green, Ben’s arms hardened to diamond, blocking a second swing of Rex’s blade. A metallic shriek scraped through the air, rather than the tear of flesh that would have sounded if that blow had landed upon his fragile human arms. At the sight of Diamondhead standing tall in place of Ben, Rex’s eyes flashed in recognition.

It was that moment of pause which opened up a window of opportunity. Ben’s arm sharpened to a point, slashing the other across the chest. He could have managed a deeper cut, but something stopped him. Something he couldn’t put a name to. Blood spattered the floor, trickling down the length of his arm, but the wound wasn't enough to stop Rex. He only grunted and lifted his blade to halt the swipe of Ben’s next attack. Hefting in exertion, he pushed back against the brunt of Diamondhead’s arm, trying to get him off balance.

Ben didn’t budge, Rex didn’t hold a candle to the strength of Petrosapien. Or so he thought.

His opponent's legs shifted into robotic limbs, powerful enough to throw Ben backward. His back crashed into another wall, causing further damage and dust to dirty the area. He landed and Rex was flying at him again, driving his blade forward. Ben barely managed to slam his hand onto the ground, crystal shooting up from the floor, creating a wall between them. Rex never faltered, hacking at it with frenzied abandon. The blade at his arm spun wildly, becoming a battle-saw that sent sparks flying as it hit his crystal barrier.

 

He was _really_ serious.

 

Web-like fractures began forming in his barrier. Ben could only stare silently at the driven young man.

 

“You’re holding back!” Rex accused, knowing exactly who he was now, “Stop hiding, Tennyson!”

 

_Was he?_

 

No, he’d already mentally assured himself that a familiar face wouldn’t deter him from taking Rex down.

 

But Rex was really, _really_ serious.

 

Rex was trying to kill him.

 

The thin breaks in the diamond began spreading as Rex smashed repeatedly at his crystalline shield.

 

Why could he only watch?

 

He thought he could remain detached, that it made no difference who his opponent was. It was turning out not to be the case. The past had come back to haunt him. He looked at his attacker and saw basketball, Sumo Slammers, his childhood. These were things Ben once held as good, but now looked back on with bitterness. They were all reminders of his naivety. But this man, his former ally, was buried there among better memories too. It seemed like even he was tainted by time. This was ruined too.

His shield shattered. Rex stood over him, his battle-saw spinning, raised high above his head.

With a raised his arm, Ben fired diamond projectiles at his assailant. Three sharp spikes shot out of his fingers, whizzing straight for Rex’s throat.

 

They halted in midair.

 

“Oh dear. If I’d been a second more, I’m afraid I’d have been too late...” called a lighthearted voice.

Rex wasn’t moving anymore either, nor was his battle-saw which was only inches from Ben’s face. He was completely frozen above him. Letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, Ben returned to human form. Turning his gaze, his eyes met Paradox’s from across the room.

“Figures you’d be involved in this.” Ben muttered to himself mostly, maneuvering away from his position at Rex’s feet,“What’s going on, Professor? Why is Rex Salazar here?”

“I hope that isn’t an implication that this is my doing…” Paradox mused, “I’m here to ask a favor of you, Benjamin. It’s to your benefit as well, considering you’re at the heart of the problem. Again.”

Ben kept his distance, speaking in a controlled, even tone that barely managed not to betray annoyance, “I’m not in the mood to decipher your cryptic word puzzles, Professor. I was just attacked. My house is destroyed. If you could get to the point this once, please…”

Paradox sobered in an instant, his expression solemn. He straightened up, slipping his hands into his lab coat,“Eon has returned.”

A conclusion formed in Ben's mind from there, piecing together a puzzle to form a complete picture.

“He's moved on from recruiting my alternate counterparts in order to destroy me then.”

“That seems to be the case.” Paradox confirmed.

“Why _him_?”

Paradox’s lips twisted into a knowing smile, “I can tell what you're thinking, Benjamin. I have doubts that he sought Rex out because he thought you would hesitate against someone you knew.”

This clarified nothing of course. He frowned, gaze flickering over to Rex who remained suspended in time. It didn't matter if that hadn't been Eon’s intention, because that's exactly what happened.

“Then why?”

“I couldn’t give you definitive answer. Anything I say would only be speculation.”

“So speculate. It can’t hurt. You know Eon better than anybody.” Ben crossed his arms, knowing that any information that came from him would be worth something. Paradox had a vast wealth of useful knowledge beneath his word games.

The Professor hardly looked flattered, but Ben hadn’t been trying to flatter him anyway. It was simply a fact that he’d been acknowledging. If there was anybody who could pinpoint what Eon was up to then it would be him. Even without his amassed knowledge, Paradox could probably read Eon in a way Ben never could.

“I believe his choice had little to do with your feelings and more to do with your friend himself.” Paradox explained to him, “The place of his origin is also home to brilliant inventors who discovered the Dominion Code.”

Perhaps the more eccentric would be more inclined to agree with Paradox. Personally, Ben believed that calling them brilliant was being too generous. The last he'd been there, Rex’s home was overrun by monsters as a result of an accident. Horrifically mutating nearly half the population by mistake wasn't something he'd personally give someone credit for.

“The Dominion code,” The Professor continued, “is a key which grants the user infinite control over the fabric of the universe. I’m sure you're familiar with nanites from your previous journey there. Well, what you may not know is that there were five specially crafted to function as Master Control Nanites, or Meta Nanites. This is where The Dominion Code was stored and your friend is the only one with the ability to fully access it.”

Who gave that kind of power to a guy like Rex, Ben thought with disbelief. That was a _godly_ level of power that these supposedly _brilliant inventors_ entrusted to a cocky hotshot.

“Why does Eon want to get his hands on that?” Ben's brows rose, “Rex and I don't even share the same universe. If his intention is to bring it here, it might not even work the way he wants it to.”

More importantly, if that's what Eon wanted, why bother sending Rex here to fight him? Why not go straight after these meta-nanites?

“Remember the metaphor of the Tree I once gave you in order to simplify alternate realities for you?” The Professor asked. Ben did remember. He’d said that the parallel versions of the history they all knew were like branches of a tree, every bit as real as the others, and there was an infinite number of them.

“Rex’s dimension exists as a separate tree from yours. But because there was contact made between both of your worlds, you share a _root_ so to speak. It exists as a small tear, constantly leaking into each other. Because of this connection, there may be a very good chance that these Meta Nanites function here just as well as they do there.” Paradox grimly informed, “The fact that I can exploit this ‘root ’ and use it as an easy method of travel strongly supports that possibility I'm afraid.”

Something in the background gave a loud crack. Debris flew into the air again as a chunk of wall finally gave and fell from strain, unable to support itself after taking so much damage. Ben didn't even flinch at the sound.

This was speculation, he reminded himself. He glanced up toward Paradox and asked him, “Professor, if all he wanted was this code, he still didn't have to bother sending Rex to kill me.”

The troubling part was the fact that even after Rex had finally recognized him, he hadn't stopped. It was a far cry from the person he once knew. Or just further proof of just how flawed Ben's perception had been when he was younger.

“True enough.” Paradox conceded, a mysterious glint in his eye, “I haven’t a clue what his motives were for that. All I can personally do from here is plan our next course of action.”

“I want to help in any way I can.”

“You can, and you can still save your friend.” Paradox gestured to the still-frozen Rex, “He didn't come from a reality set in stone. There are many reasons why alternate dimensions form, one being uncertainty. When a choice is presented to someone who is uncertain of their decision, the diverging possibilities create alternate timelines. He’s caught at a crossroads, having yet to agree to Eon’s offer. If you succeed in pulling him away from Eon’s influence, this possible future may cease to exist completely."

Resentment filled him, and Ben wasn't entirely sure he wanted to save the ‘friend’ who was uncertain of whether or not he wanted to sell him out to an enemy. From what Paradox explained, if Eon got his hands on this God code, it wouldn’t only put him in danger but everyone he cared about too. He was deliberating over whether or not to throw Ben's world under the bus. How _dare_ he, when at a moment's notice, he hadn't hesitated to save Rex’s home all those years ago.

“He'll 'cease to exist' alright…” He muttered.

It seemed like Paradox wanted to say something, but was deciding whether or not he should simply let the comment go. In the end, he nodded,“The method you employ in order to put a stop to him is entirely up to you. I wouldn't stop you.”

“You did.” Ben pointed out, jabbing a finger toward diamond shards suspended in midair, “Just now. I almost had him and you stopped me. I hope it isn't because you don't think I'm emotionally prepared.”

Or something as equally condescending.

“Ah, pardon me for lending you a hand, Benjamin.” Paradox apologized dryly, “Remind me never to do so again. You're still too cocky for your own good. You wouldn't have killed him. The nanomachines in his body would have only restarted his heart. I was only trying to cut things short.”

Restart his heart? That could present a problem in the future.

“However, you raise an excellent point. I'm aware of your recent change. Using more…” The Professor searched for the right word, “...unforgiving methods when dealing with your opponents. I was curious as to whether or not you're still fond of the word hero, or if you've dropped the label as well."

Ben forced a laugh and nodded, “Come on, Professor. I'm kind of offended that you're even asking. I hope I don't come across as that bad to you."

“I wouldn’t know. I am not an arbiter of what’s right from wrong.”

Though Ben had laughed, he was trying to smother unpleasant feelings rising to challenge Paradox’s question. After so recently having been lectured by Ultimos, his words weren't welcome if this was a dig about how heroes ought to be merciful. Last he checked, the top priority was ensuring safety, not appearing morally righteous.

“It's still ultimately your decision, whether or not you'd like to save your friend.” Paradox returned to the topic at hand, “But do keep in mind that he's a victim of circumstance. He was just told that his only living relative was executed, so Eon has one very tempting bargaining chip.”

Ben snorted, not buying that excuse. Tragedy happened to everyone and only a select few turned that into motivation to hurt others. He was only holding Rex to the same standard as anybody else.

“However which way you want to frame it, he's going to end up putting my world at risk for his personal gain, Paradox. Like hell does he get to play the victim. _Like hell ._ "


	6. En Casa Ajena

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Someone Else's Home

 

It didn’t matter how many times he had to watch someone die, death never lost its effect on him. When confronted by it, his body was always left tired, exhausted before he could even make a move. It felt like the biggest failure.

It _was absolutely_ a failure on his part. Even if Rex felt strong loathing toward his prison guard, it didn’t matter _who_ had been reduced to ash at the end of this masked man’s fist. Rex was supposed to be the one who protected them. The same went for the lives of Providence agents when they became collateral during the more hazardous of fights.

He was left at a disadvantage without the use of his nanites. This did not leave him afraid though. He couldn’t afford to feel fear.

"Rex Salazar, it’s a pleasure. I am called Eon.”

Rex couldn't look away, unable to come to terms with what he was seeing. There was no way to discern whether or not he'd run into him before because of the helmet he wore. He didn't think they’d met, but Eon knew him somehow anyway.

“A pleasure?” Rex repeated while he mentally kicked around escape plans,“Honestly, I can’t say the same.”

He had a pretty good guess about what Eon wanted too. He wasn’t the first morally dubious stranger who wanted to make nice with him, and he probably wouldn’t be the last either. Unfortunately for him, Rex already had some experience with people who wanted him to get his hands dirty for them.

“I don’t expect you to be truthful.” Eon replied with the shrug of his broad shoulders,“Though we’re both aware that where you stand now is preferable to your former circumstances. Or am I wrong? Would you rather be left to rot in a cage like someone’s forgotten pet?”

“I’d rather you get lost.”

 

“That's a poor show of gratitude.”

 

“I’m _nobody’_ s forgotten pet.”

 

“No.” The other man agreed, “Just forgotten.”

 

He wasn’t.

He had more faith than that, even if it was in a now disbanded Providence. Rex wasn’t gullible enough to swallow that _‘nobody loves you_ _’_ crap. Didn’t he go through enough sappy heart-to-heart conversations with Holiday and Six? He’d had all the reassurances he needed, hadn’t he? Six was a man of his word. No matter the length of time, even if it had been three years or thirty, Rex was far from forgotten. But his thoughts did not quite align with the way he felt in response to the implication that he’d been abandoned. They did not accurately reflect the way Eon’s words lacerated him. His entire heart had already been carved out and into, not needing any further help thank you very much. His fingers were beginning to hurt from how tightly he had them balled up.

But there was nothing he could do with his tightened fists. He couldn't quell the burning need to destroy without his abilities. He had nothing that could help him act out his violent impulses. So he chuckled mockingly instead, venom leaking its way into his laugh. He could _only_ laugh, made too defenseless to do anything else.  

“Dude, emotional manipulation is just pathetic.”

Caesar was on his mind. Him and his murmured disappointment when given a glimpse of Rex’s actions under Quarry’s command. Caesar and his parting words.

Rex was _loved._

Eon was spurred on by that. Quickly, he began closing the distance between them. Each heavy step of his boots filled Rex with anticipation. Adrenaline made him eager for a fight he wasn’t going to win. He was so totally outgunned.

The masked man lunged forward, seizing him by the throat. At that same moment, Rex brought his elbow down harshly against his armored shoulder. Pain exploded up his arm but he ignored it. He smashed his elbow into his shoulder for a second time, and then again. Each hit left no dent, but it served to make Rex feel better. Even when his jabs grew weaker and weaker.

“... dare call me pathetic! Let me enlighten you on what truly _is_ pathetic.” Eon was in his face, snarling at him, and it almost escaped Rex’s notice that he was even speaking, “You allowed yourself to be declawed by those inferior to you. The only things left in your arsenal are childish insults which you should not direct at me. You lack a basic sense of self preservation.”

Spots began to fill his vision the longer he was suspended in the air. He stuck Eon a final time before his arm went entirely slack. Finally, he was released. He hated how he crumpled so easily at Eon’s feet. Every breath shuddered out of him after being deprived of oxygen for so long. His shoulders heaved with the force of his weak coughs, hand moving to rub at his throat.

“I’ve come to learn much about you, Rex.” Eon spoke over him as Rex fought to catch his breath,“It was quite easy, the media being especially helpful. They so enjoyed making a spectacle of your life--”

Though his hand continued to clutch at his sore throat, Rex could almost breathe just fine now. He could hear him loud and clear too. Tilting his chin up, he directed at him a hateful glare for even digging up the subject.

“-- and so I’m aware that you’ve unjustly lost three years of your life to a prison. I’m also aware that your brother was held responsible and executed for the lab explosion that claimed the lives of your parents. You're all alone.”

Rex’s eyes began burning, his ears growing hot too. _Don't talk about him_ he wanted to say. _Don’t you ever talk about any of them_.

“Of the handful of truths I know about you, what’s most clear is how different you wanted the outcome of your noble deed to be. It matters little whether or not you believe you were forgotten by your allies.”  Eon continued, “We can argue over that little detail until your dying breath. I do not truly care. It won't change how repulsive this timeline is for you, will it?”

Rex nearly missed what he was talking about, puzzled by the mention of his ‘noble deed.’ He didn’t understand until it belatedly occurred to him that he could have been talking about The Cure. As if that was _really_ a noble deed, not withholding an antidote that ended the suffering of millions across the globe. That wasn’t a noble deed, it had hardly even been a choice. That was having basic humanity.

But it hadn't been sufficient proof to show he didn't want to be weaponized. _Yes_ , he thought, without a doubt did he wish that the outcome of the cure had been different.

 

It wasn’t _fair._

 

“St…” He stopped, feeling a wet trickle slide down his jaw. Angrily, scrubbed at it and then began again, “Stop pretending like you know anything about it. It's really pissing me off...”

“You don't have an argument.” Eon observed with almost childlike smugness. _I'm right_ his tone taunted.

He really didn’t need to argue. Whatever he wanted from Rex, and surely he was after something, his answer was still a no. He was going to say as much. His lips parted, the word riding on the tip of his tongue: No. But he couldn’t bring himself to actually get it out. And he knew he should say it, it was the correct thing to do.

“I can give you a do-over, Rex.” This was said to him oh-so-helpfully,“A chance to go back and fix your timeline. It’s broken. Things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to. I can understand that much. There are things I would like to change too.”

 _No,_ he wanted to say. It would be so easy. One syllable. _No._

“All I ask for in return is a device that will mean absolutely nothing to you. One inconsequential price, and I can take you back to the day of the cure. You can change whatever you’d like from thereon.”

Turning down an offer had never been so difficult.

“N--” He started to say, but something slithered around his waist and up his arms, stopping him before he could refuse. These restraints tightened at his forearms, making a slow crawl around his abdomen and torso before yanking backward. All the air escaped his lungs from the force of the jerk, but he was left a ragdoll left in the grips of vines.

Yelping when he hit the concrete, he quickly forced himself into a sitting position. There wasn’t much more he could do, arms bound to his sides by thick plants. They gave off a revolting smell, making him turn his head to gag.

His gaze landed on the soles of feet. Slowly, his eyes lifted upward to a plant-like creature, unfamiliar to him in every way except for an itch in the back of his mind that told him otherwise. It only clicked into place when his eyes caught onto the insignia resting against the creature’s chest. Eon’s offer was no longer about an insignificant little device. He'd seen that insignia before on Ben Tennyson.

“That is _not_ happening.” Ben bit out, standing in front of him as a shield. He was accompanied by another person that Rex also recognized.

“You're...  that guy. From the park!” He gaped at the man in the white coat, standing off to the side of Ben. He wore the same clothing from the last and only time Rex had seen him. Nothing about him seemed to change at all.

“I did warn you about keeping your temper.” the British man chided him without glancing his way.

Yeah, he did. But that piece of vague advice was hardly a sufficient warning. Rex glared at the back of his head but had nothing to retort.

“Your incessant meddling is getting old, Paradox. I’m growing suspect of your motivations for continuously seeking me out.” Eon spoke, bright light flashing in his palm, forcing Rex to squint against the blinding purple beam. He didn’t realize that Eon had fired it in their direction. When he finally noted how rapidly it sailed closer, he sucked in a startled breath. Kicking his heels against the concrete, he tried to shove himself away, knowing they’d all be turned to ash. Why weren’t they moving?!

“Get out of the--!” The words choked off when Rex’s surroundings changed, his entire perspective having shifted. No longer were they directly facing Eon, Rex was looking at him from a side view. They’d moved to the opposite side of the street.

“It does leave me with something to do. I can’t say I ever grow bored anymore.” The professor was truthful, jauntily answering Eon’s statement before sobering, “I'll always be there to stand in the way of what you want.”

With an enraged roar, Eon pivoted on a heel, hurling another blast of light. This time, it was only directed at Paradox.

“And this is where I leave you.” Paradox said apologetically, inclining his head in Ben's direction.

Ben stiffened beside Rex, opening his mouth to object as blue light began to envelop them both. Rex shut his eyes, his entire body bracing for pain that never came.

 

Instead, what arrived was the sensation of falling.

 

He landed in a grassy field with a quiet thud, quite literally seeing stars. The sky was dark, discomforting Rex with how impossibly swift time had shifted. It had only been morning, and his prior experience with speedy time change was not a positive one. He frowned and turned his head, blades of wet grass brushing up against his cheek.

Ben was standing in his human form, jaw clenched as he gazed around the grassy plane. This was the first Rex was seeing him after so long. He nearly failed to recognize him. When they were sixteen, Ben had been a twig of a boy and a head shorter than him too. Rex’s old red jacket used to hang loosely off his body, but now he imagined that anything in his wardrobe would fit Ben a bit too tightly. He’d grown so that they stood at the same height, but he was a bit more bulkier than Rex now.

Ben stopped scanning the field, his emerald eyes flitting over to him. Rex held his gaze, frowning back at him. There was something off about him. Maybe it was the way he held himself, so rigidly tense.

“Isn’t this just perfect.” He muttered, his hands resting against his hips, “What am I supposed to do with you?”

“Well, uh.” Rex shifted in his bindings, “For starters, you can untie me.”

He was given a derisive snort.

“What?” Rex’s brows pulled together uncomprehendingly. Ben turned away from him, one hand dropping from his side. The other slipped into his pocket to pull out a phone which he raised high into the air.

“What are you doing?” Rex asked as he sat up, but he wasn’t given a reply. Ben only pocketed his phone again.

“I’m going to let you free. Don’t attack me or...” Ben approached him, kneeling behind him, “Well, you don’t want to find out.”

“Why would I do that?” In his current state, he couldn’t do much to harm Ben. Even if he did have the ability, there was no reason to hurt him, especially after he’d just saved him.

Again, Ben didn't provide him with an answer. He produced a pocket knife from his jacket, slicing through the vines that pinned his arms.

“It's… been a while.” Rex awkwardly prattled, voice pitching up an octave as Ben worked instead of speaking, “You look... good.”

“Eon wanted you to take my watch for him,” Ben cut out the pleasantries, dismissing them and getting straight to the point, “but I was left under the impression that he needed you because you’re the only one who can fully control something called a Meta Nanite. What did he mention to you about the Omnitrix?”

He had to blink a few times in befuddlement. Eon _could_ have been after the meta nanites, it wasn’t impossible, but he’d made no mention of it. Then there was the fact that Rex had shut them off so that they would no longer function for anyone. Not even him. Pausing in consideration, he supposed that it wouldn’t matter if one could time travel. But then he wouldn’t have had to ask for Rex’s help at all.

“Yeah, he obviously let me in on everything.” Rex said, a sarcastic edge in his tone, “I don’t know. I don’t even know _him_.”

“Oh, so you’re just that easily swayed then.” There was something hostile in the way Ben said that, his words lacking in any sort of warmth or familiarity.

“What are you talking about?” Rex demanded.

Ben ignored him. He cut through the last of the vines and stood up, briefly fiddling with his watch. It emitted a light which glowed against his skin, making him look green.

“You can’t just ignore my questions!” Rex protested in indignation, “I answered yours!”

“Your questions aren't as significant to the situation at hand.” He shot him down, “So yes. I can ignore them.”

“Do you have a problem with me?” Rex demanded, “You’re acting like I shot your dog, Tennyson.”

“I don’t have a problem with you.” The words were clipped though, they weren’t at all too convincing.

 _Fine,_ he thought, _Don’t tell me_.

Rex rose to his feet and turned to start walking, unsure of where he was going. His best bet was Noah. If he could somehow find him, then everything else would come easy. He scowled and loudly announced, “I have places to be...”

“You can’t go.” Ben stated, voice alone indicating that he thought Rex were dimwitted, “I was checking my cell phone and it has service. That means you’re in my world. There’s nowhere for you to go.”

That stopped Rex in his tracks. He lost his scowl immediately, whipping around to stare at him.

“What?”

“Let me know if you need me to speak any slower for you.”

Frustration was nearly enough to make Rex snap. But his current state of hopelessness prevented him from taking it out on Ben. He wasn’t responsible for the obstacles preventing Rex from getting home. Tension bled out of his shoulders.

“I know somewhere you can stay.” There was a firmness in Ben’s offer that nearly caused Rex to decline but the man followed up, making it clear that it wasn’t really an offer, “I can't let you go unsupervised with Eon targeting you.”

_Let him?_

“I think I can take care of myself.” Rex scoffed. But the truth was, he hadn't stood a chance when Eon had been choking the life out of him. It was his disdain for authority that left him bristling over being told what to do. Ben’s line of questioning only proved that he knew no better than Rex. They were both without answers as to what was going on.

“I don’t care.” Ben said, pressing his watch once more, “Now isn’t the time for a show of pride. It would be irresponsible to turn you loose in a place you’re unfamiliar with. Stay here while I arrange to have someone pick us up.”

He stepped a distance away for privacy, leaving Rex alone to silently watch the stars.

 

Once, back when he and Ben knew each other comfortably enough to play a round of Basketball together, he'd mentioned that he belonged to an intergalactic organization called The Plumbers. They were, for all intents and purposes, space cops with a stupid name.

And that's who arrived to give them a lift.

Their base of operations orbited Earth, housing some of the most dangerous criminals of Ben’s planet. It nearly reminded Rex of Providence. Nearly, if not for the color scheme. There was a green tint to every room, reflecting off the walls, stairs, and all of their technology. It was much more spacious than Providence too. Even craning his head up wasn't enough to let him see the upper levels. An elevator was there to take people upward.

“It's nice to see you, Ben.” An older gentleman greeted with genuine warmth as he lead them down the halls of the base.

His tone made Rex feel out of place walking beside them, like an outsider to their little circle. Despite this, there was still something just _likable_ about the old man. There seemed to be a permanent hint of a smile at the corners of his lips.

“It's nice to see you too, Grandpa. But this isn't really a casual visit.”

“No. It's not, is it?”

Turning to address Rex, Ben's Grandfather finally greeted him, “You must be Rex Salazar. I want to thank you for looking after my grandson when he landed in your dimension four years ago.”

“It… wasn't anything really.” Rex awkwardly replied, not sure what to say in reply. He was clearly more welcoming than his grandson. It felt odd to be spoken to that way. He was automatically wary, wondering if it was some kind of test.

“Oh no, but it was. And it's only right we return the favor.” Max held out a hand, “Good to finally meet you, son. Feel free to call me Max during your stay here.”

Rex felt a smile inching its way across his face but it was quickly wiped off, replaced by an irritated scowl when Tennyson cut into their introductions.

“Grandpa.” Ben admonished, his tone just short of disrespectful, “It's a bit too soon to be warming up to him, don't you think?”

Rex pictured himself speaking to Six that way, so condescendingly, as if his mentor were a too trusting fool. He couldn't even begin to imagine a scenario like that. Yes, he used to complain, whine, and bother him. But he never spoke to him like _that_ . He respected Six _so_ much. This holier-than-thou attitude was really ticking him off.

“Hey.” He snapped, “Don't talk to your Grandpa that way.”

“What?” Ben was taken aback, brows pulling together, “I wasn't talking to him any-- Wait. Actually, your input wasn't asked for.”

“Let's take it down a few notches, boys.” Max put a hand on Rex’s shoulder with a soft chuckle. He stopped walking and suggested, “Ben, why don't you take the night off? Go home and get some rest. Leave Rex to me. I'll get him settled in.”

“I'm not leaving you alone with him, Grandpa.” Ben disagreed, crossing his arms.

“It's not like I'm going to blow the place up!” Rex complained.

(Was there something about himself that made people assume he was going to do some horrific wrong?)

That was the wrong thing to say. Visibly, Tennyson’s eyes darkened and he agreed, “No. You wouldn't get the chance.”

“Alright, that's enough.” Max said warningly, frowning for the first time since Rex was introduced to him, “Ben, you can stay at Headquarters if you'd like. But I'm showing Rex to his room myself.”

A staring match broke out between Max and his grandson, both of them too stubborn to look away until Ben's arms dropped to his sides.

“I won't be far.” He promised, turning and making his way toward the elevators.

When he was gone, Max continued walking through the halls.

“You'll have to forgive him,” The elder man said apologetically, “Ben's grown much more protective over the years I'm afraid.”

“He's nuts.” Rex blurted out, forgetting that he was insulting the man's grand kid. When he remembered that detail, he sheepishly scratched his neck and added, “No offense.”

“None taken.” He waved off Rex’s observation, “I’d use a different word though. He's only worried. Personally, I just don't think you have it in you, whatever it is that has him so worried.”

Max casted him a look. It was a pitying glance that nearly offended him. But it was just so hard to feel anything negative toward him. Not solely because he was so affable, but because nobody had ever really conversed with Rex in this way in such a long time, nor had he been given a basic level of respect.

And only then did it occur to him why Max must have been looking at him that way. It had only been a brief, passing thought after his escape that he must have looked savage in appearance. Surely there was scruff on his face, his hair long and wild. Max was giving him the look one would give a starving puppy.

“Of course, I could always be wrong. I just prefer giving people the benefit of the doubt first.” Max stopped at a door, putting in the code, “It's not that I've gone soft in my old age, we're just prepared for the worst already. I'm not worried about you, son.”

 

The door slid open, and Rex’s heart dropped.

 

It was a bare room with a bed. There was another door inside too which lead to a bathroom, but everything about it was so empty.  It was stripped of any life, so impersonal and confining. Rex’s anxiety spiked at the sight of the automatic door and the lock which required a code.

 _A prison,_ his mind hysterically warned, _it's a prison._

“No.” He immediately shot down, trying to swallow down his terror, “I'm not... I can't…”

“Is something the matter?” Max asked, making no move to stop him from stepping away. He allowed him that, raising his hands to show that he meant no harm.

Rex couldn't answer him. He tried, words getting lodged in his throat. He trembled, trying to think of what to say. What to do. Anything to get him out of going inside.

“Rex?”

“I'm…” Rex forced passed his lips, “I don't like… small rooms.”

“You're claustrophobic.” Max supplied with understanding on his face, “That's... perfectly fine. Nobody here will make you do anything you don't want to. You're a guest, not a prisoner.”

Rex deflated, relief following the reassurance. He shot Max a grateful look.

“But you have to stay somewhere while you're here. Besides, I thought you might like a shower. Maybe a shave too.” Max said, not unkindly, “I planned on giving you the access code. You can leave the front door open if you'd like.”

That… eased some of his fear. He was being given the code. He could leave the door open if he wanted to.

 

This wasn't a prison.

 

He let out a breath and stepped inside.

*** 

 

 

There wasn’t much of an interrogation. That implied the use of more force. It was just a simple question and answer session that Rex was subjected to the next morning, not that he could provide them with much information other than his own personal account of what happened.

What made concentrating on the task at hand difficult was that, while Max questioned him across the table of an empty interrogation room, Ben was seated there too. What had he done to put him on edge? There were few feelings worse than the one brought on by someone he formerly admired looking at him the way that Ben did and then not being told why.

This made it challenging to recount the events that lead up to Eon’s arrival. He could certainly put up an apathetic facade, as if Tennyson’s judgement didn’t even touch him, but that wasn’t true. He wished he didn’t care so much. In between questioning, Rex’s eyes would occasionally stray toward him. Each time they did, he found his frosty eyes unwaveringly staring right back, and he was forced to look away from the intensity. Rex would sink a little lower into his seat then, a pretend-scowl on his face. Pretending that there was any venom in his glare when he was only just playing up his defense.

“So, when can I go home?” Rex asked, once Max was through questioning him. That’s mainly all he cared about, to the point where the desire seemed to have taken up entire facets of his very personality. He’d been displaced for so long that all he was reduced to, all he was now, was a wandering vagrant. A rugged stray for old men to look upon with sympathy. Ugh.

At the very least, he’d cleaned himself up last night. He’d shaved, showered, but there was nothing that could be done about his hair for the time being.

“I wish I could tell you,” Max said after a moment of hesitation, “but until Paradox comes back with word on Eon, I’m not sure.”

He didn’t feel the disappointment. He was already accustomed to not receiving the answers he wanted to hear, and so his hopes hadn’t been very high. He merely nodded in response, and would have sunk even lower in his seat if it wouldn’t land him on the floor.

Seeing the defeat on his face, Max attempted to assure him, “Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can to get you home soon, Rex.”

Which would have been comforting, if he wasn’t acutely aware of what was in store for him there. That prison break-in must have left behind a lot of damages. Victims even. The blame was going to have to fall on someone and nobody was going to swallow that he actually hadn’t been complicit in orchestrating his own “escape.” That he hadn’t gone willingly.

“Thanks.” He said regardless, because Max knew none of this and it was better to keep it that way. He didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him. He couldn’t imagine _anybody_ ever wanting that.

“Now that the difficult part is over, are you hungry? How about some breakfast?” Max asked, his seemingly perpetual smile growing.

 _Yes,_ Rex bit back. Ignored thus far, the pangs of hunger which had been gnawing at his stomach were back with renewed vengeance. But he didn’t have money, and didn’t know the type of currency they accepted here.

“Yeah, but how much is it?” He asked though it was a pointless question. The price wouldn’t make a difference when he didn’t have a penny to his name.

“Oh, no. Don’t worry about that. Food from the Mess Hall is free of charge here.”

 _Oh yeah_. If there was anything better than food, it was free food. That’s something Bobo always used to say, and Rex could not agree more than he did in that moment, his stomach aching with starvation.

 

“I can show him the way.”

 

Startled, Rex’s attention was pulled away from Max, toward Ben who’d been silent up until now. He was leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest. Blinking away his surprise, Rex tensed at his offer, certain that it wasn’t given to him out of friendliness.

Suddenly, he wasn’t all that hungry.

But he wasn’t going to bow out due to cowardice. Like he was seriously afraid of _E.T._ here. Yeah, it may have felt like shit to be looked at funny by an old friend, but he was far from intimidated. After all, even if he no longer resembled a string bean, Tennyson was still the same pansy who could do nothing more than throw pebbles without his fancy wristwatch. On the inside anyway.

“That’s nice of you, but I think I can make it there myself. I’m a big boy.” Rex shrugged, “Thanks and all.”

“Don’t be silly.” Max cut in to assert his own position, rising from the table,“I already offered so I’m obligated to show him around, Ben.”

“My grandfather has to document this interview. Babysitting you is only going to take up his time and get in the way of his work.” Ben gave Rex a meaningful look but he didn’t know why. Monopolizing Max’s time wasn’t _his_ idea.

“What are you looking at me for?” He voiced his thoughts, brows rising, “I already said I’d find the Cafeteria myself.”

“And I said that I'd join you. Unless you have a reason for saying no.” Ben challenged. Maybe it wasn't meant to sound that way, but there was just no kindness in his voice.

“Fine.” Rex narrowed his eyes, proof of just how unafraid he was.

Max could not have been more clearly apprehensive about leaving them alone together. Ben’s attitude from the previous night hadn't left his mind. It took some convincing, but he left them to their own devices eventually, and Rex slowly made his way to mess hall with Tennyson walking by his side.

The further they ventured through Plumber’s Headquarters, the more he was reminded of the holding facility he had been living in for the last few years. He wasn’t spared the shame that came with remembering how he’d nearly made a scene when offered a guest room here. Not his proudest moment.

“Is this the part where you threaten me?” Rex would rather they got that out of the way now.

“This is the part where I take you to breakfast,” Ben responded, “and you say nothing at all.”

Rex rolled his eyes. Way too dramatic.

“Whatever.”

They didn’t exchange many words after that. Rex actually preferred that and didn’t try and engage him in conversation. Instead, he directed his attention toward the layout of their base, silently admiring the skill and dedication that must have went into the architecture and engineering. He’d never admit this to anybody and would rather die than have someone find out, but stuff like this was really something worthy of geeking out over. It was the design, a marvel, something he wished he could lay his hands against to figure out.

It seemed like their headquarters went on endlessly. He almost passed up the mess hall completely, too caught up in all his gawking. He was unsure of whether or not he liked the scent fanning across his face. His eyes flickered toward Ben, “What is that?”

He saw the corner of Ben’s mouth twitch though he didn’t smile, explaining very neutrally, “There are more than just humans stationed here--”

So he’d seen. Rex had already taken note of the various blue or grey folks hanging about.

“--so the food choices reflect that. I’m sure you can find a burger, but if you can’t then you’ll just have to settle for what they have.”

Only at the end of his sentence did Ben’s tone hint at mocking. _Eugh,_ was he joking? Rex placed a hand over his stomach, fingers digging into the material of his clothing. This wasn’t the time. He was sure that the nanites in his system were the only things that had kept him alive for this long. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a meal. He was so starved, he was willing to stomach even Martian food.

Reluctantly, he approached the tray line and found that he couldn’t recognize a single dish. When he found that some of the options they served were still mobile, revulsion shuddered through him. This was _sick._

“Just pick something already.” Ben ordered impatiently.

“I would if I knew what half of this stuff even was! Is that supposed to be moving?”

Behind the glass, the cook took offense to his words, “Well… _Yes_. Is there a problem?”

Rex grimaced and scanned his options again. He gestured to a safe, stationary looking dish. Still, it was an unappetizing purple color, and he didn’t want to look too hard at it for fear he might see something he didn’t like. The cook served it to him, clearly bothered by his earlier expression of disgust if the way he **slopped** the food down into his tray was any indication. Rex tried not to pull a face as he moved away to grab a drink. Thank god for small mercies, they were stocked up on plain ol’ water.

Once at a table, he gently nudged his plate away from himself, “Can you at least tell me what this is?”

Uninterested, Ben didn’t even glance in his direction when he answered, “Mycetean Swamp Hoppers.”

That only made the food seem less desirable if that was even possible.

“Delicious.” He deadpanned and unscrewed the lid to his water instead, downing it all in a few chugs.

Again, there was a subtle, almost undetectable twitch at Ben’s lips. He obviously agreed and wasn’t a huge fan of alien food either, even if he wasn’t voicing it. Picking up a fork, Rex pushed his food around his tray.

There was an unspoken topic hanging in the air, one they couldn’t avoid forever. He wanted to discuss it on his terms rather than on Ben’s. It would be like tearing off a band aid.

“I didn’t do anything, you know.” He suddenly spoke.

Across from him, Ben’s eyes flitted over to him in question, raising a brow.

“When I told your grandpa that Eon busted me out of Maximum Security.” He clarified, “It wasn’t my fault that I got put in there.”

“Is that supposed to be reassurance? That’s what most people would say.”

“Who cares what _most people_ would say?” Rex demanded, fingers shaking around the eating utensil he gripped tightly, “I’m your _friend_. Don’t you remember that? Why are you acting this way?”

“Friend?” Ben asked, surprised that he’d even used that word, “We’ve met once when I was sixteen. You hardly know me, Rex. How lacking is your social pool for you to consider a one-time experience enough to build an entire friendship on?”

Ben’s words pierced him with cruel reality. Beneath the stab of hurt, once he shoved down the rising tide of melancholy, Rex recognized that he did make a fair point. _That was right._ How limited was his social pool now? And even further back too, who did he have before? Noah, who’d initially been paid to be his friend? The Hong Kong Gang, who he could not even recall befriending? He didn’t know how friendships were meant to begin.

He gave up trying to speak with Ben. Defeated, Rex preoccupied himself with what was on his tray. He stabbed his fork into the purple mess that was supposed to be breakfast, swallowing his first bite. And then another. And another.

He was focused less on taste and more on simply filling his stomach. It was about trying to quell the unbearable pangs of hunger, not about actually enjoying his meal.

 

“Hey. Slow down.”  Ben advised him.

 

He didn’t listen.

 

“You’re going to make yourself sick.”

 

Swamp Hoppers could have been a burger or stale bread for how little it mattered to him. The reluctance he had initially felt was gone as soon as he’d taken a bite.

It only took a few minutes for him to nearly clear off his entire tray. That’s when he felt his very insides begin to squirm with unease. He gagged, doubling over the side of the table where he vomited, the acrid burn of bile making his eyes water.

“Great.” Ben stood up, coming around the table to help,“That’s just nice. I warned you.”

He left him in order to retrieve some more water, returning with the lid uncapped. He waited for him to finish before handing it to Rex, “When was the last time you had anything to eat?”

Rex gratefully drank down his water, wincing at the taste in his mouth.

“I don’t really remember.” He set the water bottle down, “I can starve, but I can’t die from starvation.”

“You’re not supposed to eat large portions after a long period of going without food.” Ben informed him.

“I know that. I was just… really hungry.”

“Come on, I’ll take you back to your room.”

Rex didn’t object, even if this might have been another paranoid method of keeping an eye on him. An argument wasn’t worth the effort. However, while he didn’t protest, he did stop Ben before he could leave. His hand was already on the door when Rex’s fingers closed around his arm, his thumb pressing against the pulse of his wrist.

“You were right.” He admitted, “I don’t have much experience making friends. But… I know that we were. You were _my_ friend, Ben.”

He might not have been able to know what Ben was thinking, and his expression didn’t give anything away either, but shook Rex’s hand off. His eyes were still so distant and detached from him, cementing rejection. His tone dropped several degrees, “Was I?”

“Yes. And I get it. You don’t feel the same way, but that doesn’t explain this.” Rex gesticulated feebly, as if that could convey what he was trying to say with just his hands, “What happened to you?”

It was like he was a completely different person from when he’d met him. It couldn’t have been something he’d done when Rex hadn’t seen him in such a long time. It had to have been something else that caused this major personality shift.

 

Ben let the door shut.

 

“This has nothing to do with me. You haven’t given me a single reason to put my trust in you.” Ben said, jaw tensed from the displeasure of being in the same room as him,“You were going to say yes to Eon.”

(Okay, there _had_ to be some kind of horrible ugliness residing within Rex that other people saw and he couldn’t.)

“That’s what you think?” He wet his lips, voice eerily calm to his own ears.

“I didn’t hesitate to help you defend your home when it was in danger.” Ben’s voice was sharp but failed to pierce him this time, “It’s funny how hard you had to think about whether or not you wanted to leave mine to rot.”

So he was this upset Rex had _hesitated?_ Eon had said nothing about Ben, his world, nor had he so much as elaborated on what was so special about the device he was searching for. All he had offered was his brother, and of course he knew there had to be a catch. There was always one. That’s why he’d been ready to reject the offer. But who had the herculean strength not to even _think_ about the return of a lost loved one?

“Ben, I was going to say no.”

“That’s not what it looked like.”

“Oh, well, my bad then. I didn’t know I was responsible for your vision now.” Rex drawled with a roll of his eyes, “I can’t believe you’re so angry that I _paused._ Sorry we’re not all perfect, noble heroes like you--”

“I never claimed that I was!” Ben tried to cut in, raising his voice, but Rex continued anyway.

“--but I bet you have no clue what living in a damn _nightmare_ is like. I wish I could say that I’d love to see you unflinchingly reject the offer of having someone _you_ love brought back to life after they’ve been ripped away. But I can’t. I can’t even say that to you, because I lived it! I don’t have the ability to wish that on anyone.”

_It hurt. It hurt every second that they were gone and then you remembered it would be that way forever._

“You think I haven’t lost anything? I’ve already made it clear how little you know me, so if I haven’t driven the point home yet: You don’t know anything.” Ben spat, and for a second it looked like he was going to take a step closer. He looked like he wanted to hit him,“All I’ve heard from you is self pity. I never said I was perfect. But nothing that could ever possibly happen to me, **nothing** would justify putting others in harm's way.”

“I already told you that I was going to say no.” Rex seethed, “What more do you want from me? If you don’t wanna believe me, that’s your damage.”

“I don’t believe you. You’re right.” Ben agreed, “That’s why if you so much as make me _think_ you’re putting the people here in danger, it’s over for you.  I don’t care. I’m not willing to gamble _my_ home and the people who matter to _me_ on how trustworthy you turn out to be.”

In a bright flash of green that made Rex raise a hand to shield his eyes, Ben had morphed into one of his transformations; a dark blue creature that resembled a moth. Rex stiffened, wondering if they were about to fight, but Ben became intangible and slipped through the walls, leaving the room.

What a dick.


	7. Amistad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendship

Given their nature, cats did not get along well with Rex. This was something of a personal tragedy for him since he had a general fondness for animals. His best friend was a Chimpanzee, and in his line of work, he’d encountered many creatures in need of rescuing or curing. He was the biggest animal lover, but none loathed him more than cats. They were made frightened by his boundless energy and enthusiasm, becoming tense bundles of nerves in his arms.

It was a wonder how he and Rook Blonko could get along so well.

In all fairness, Rook wasn’t _really_ a cat or even feline. That didn’t stop Rex from blurting out the resemblance he shared with the animal upon first seeing him. The EVO had been in the middle of trying to get something out of a snack machine when a shadow descended upon him. Rex still didn’t have a single cent in his possession. He’d only been toying with the machine in hopes that his abilities had returned. So when his attempts yielded no results, he remained hungry, but didn’t want to brave another trip to the mess hall. All he’d had to eat was foreign alien grub. Regular Earth candy wasn't asking for too much, even if it wasn’t quite from his version of Earth.

“Come on…” He growled, slapping the clear glass. His force was controlled, not strong enough to cause it damage. He was so distracted that he didn’t notice someone had approached until his source of light had been blotted out. Pausing his assault on the machine, he turned his head and was met with the sight of the tall, furry alien. His mind went blank with surprise and his mouth ran away from him before he could stop himself.

“Woah. Big kitty…”

As soon as the words had left his mouth, he wished he could swallow them back up again. Talk about all kinds of insensitive. As he worked with Providence over the years, he’d developed a nasty habit of calling people by their most defining traits. It was always ‘ _Hey, Slimy!’_ or ‘N _ot today, Ugly!’_  It wasn’t as though he could help it. At this point in his life, it had become firmly ingrained into his speaking patterns.

“Pardon?” The alien didn’t take offense. He was merely caught off guard, blinking several times at him.

Rex was quick to deny he’d so much as spoken. “I didn’t say anything.”

The alien cocked his head to one side. A lengthy silence filled the hall as he analyzed Rex’s situation; the frustrated placement of his fingers against glass, curled and ready to claw their way to the candy. “It accepts most forms of currency. Did it not work for you?”

“What?” Rex’s hand slipped off of the machine when he realized what he was asking. “Oh. Nah, I don’t have money. I was trying to steal some chocolate.”

“That is not something you should feel so comfortable saying to a Plumber…”

“What are you gonna do? _Arrest_ me? I’m already here.”

The disapproval remained present on the alien’s face, but he stepped a little closer and pulled something from one of his pockets. Inserting his cash into the slot, he paid for the candy and Rex was hit with a major case of Deja Vu. Wasn’t this a bit like how he’d met Noah?

Something inside him sank as he was handed the candy, and upon taking a bite, he was met with a disparity between his world and this one. It was plain chocolate. The flavors had never been swapped, nor was there a manufacturer error _._ It had always tasted as such to the inhabitants of that world. To Rex however, it was as though he’d bitten off a mouthful of peanut butter.

It was just so _messed up._

“Do not… steal things.” The alien frowned. “It isn’t necessary. If you’re hungry, meals are always free in the Cafeteria--”

Rex defeatedly tossed the candy bar behind him, in the general direction of the trashcan, without looking. The Plumber operative stopped speaking and cocked his head. Lifting a finger, he used it to gesture behind him.

“You missed the wastebasket.” He said matter-of-factly. Then, seeing his expression, he added in concern,“Are you well?”

“Just fine.”

“You don’t seem ‘just fine.’” He told Rex without a moment of hesitation. “You don’t seem like a cadet either.”

“That’s probably because I’m not.”

“Fine? Or a cadet?”

“A cadet.” But the former also applied, and it had nothing to do with disappointing candy.

“I didn’t think you were. Although, you wouldn’t be the first to forgo the uniform.”

“Not my choice.” Rex pinched the collar of the plaid shirt he’d been given. He didn’t have a lot of options for clothes. “This is a loaner.”

“If you’re not a cadet, then am I correct to assume you’re the one staying here under the protection of the Plumbers?”

He shouldn’t have felt surprised. It wasn’t the first time his reputation preceded him. Probably wouldn’t be the last. If he was being targeted, then it put everyone around him at risk, and it was likely that all the operatives had been briefed about the situation. Nevertheless, the fact that he was able to so quickly deduce who he was wasn’t something Rex expected. This guy was fast. He swallowed hard, wondering now how much he knew. His eyes wanted to flicker away, but he met the alien’s gaze evenly.

“Guess I’m famous around here now, huh?”

“A bit more than usual.” He answered, though Rex had intended it as a rhetorical question. “It may not be a rare thing… someone needing our protection that is. But Eon can hardly be called the average threat.”

“Funny. I keep hearing that.”

And yet, after all he’s heard, he hadn’t actually been told anything about him. Though, somewhere in his gut, he felt that his unspoken inquiries didn’t _need_ to be asked. Because what more did he need to know beyond what was obvious? Eon’s motivations, origins, and whatever the hell else weren’t important. Unlike some of the people Rex had fought before, there were no blurred lines concerning the enemy here. He’d already seen what he was capable of. He didn’t need to know more.

Needing protection however, wasn’t the nicest feeling in the world. Knowing that people would throw down their lives for him, not even because they liked him, but because it was required of them. It had been that way at home too, but at least there, he could stand among the men ready to die for him. He couldn’t do anything now.

“I am Rook Blonko.” He finally introduced himself, extending a hand out to him. His arm faltered after Rex didn’t immediately accept his handshake. “Do they greet each other differently in your dimension?”

Rook’s eyes were earnestly curious, it instantly made him feel like a prick. And after he bought him a candy bar too... Was that a definitive way of knowing the kind of person Rook was? Of course not, but it was still nice. With certainty, it became clear to him that this was how friends were made. He was in a bad mood, but if he expressed it by taking it out on Rook, he knew he was going to mess up his chance to actually befriend someone. And remember it too.

Before Rook could drop his hand, Rex grabbed his hand. “You just took me by surprise. I’m Rex.”

“Yes, I know.” He reminded.

His initial assumption about him was proven correct. Rook was nice, if not too formal. It was fine though. He struck Rex as a dork really, but not in a bad way. As they walked the halls, he told him a little about himself. Rook came from a place called… Revo--

Revana?

 _Ravohana_?

Something like that. The syllables didn’t immediately click together for him in his head, however that didn’t mean he hadn’t been attentively listening. It was a sort of farm town, which was something Rex tried to relate to.

“I think my family were farmers too at some point.” He scratched his cheek cluelessly.

Caesar wasn’t--

His thoughts halted. He forced himself to take an even breath.

 _\--hadn’t_ been the reminiscing type. Anything he’d wheedled out of him didn’t cover how they came to stay at that farm in the first place or how often they spent there. But he’d seen himself in some home videos. They had to have stayed there, even if he couldn’t recall ever stepping foot on his family’s ranch other than the time he and his friends were there to whip it back into shape. It would have been nice to say he understood where Rook was coming from though. He didn’t really have a clue. Rook must have assumed as much too, judging from the smile on his face.

“You ‘think?’” He quoted.

“I… yeah.” He didn’t want to go into the subject of his memory loss. “They were mostly inventors.”

“We were told the reason you were being targeted was some of their work.” Rook nodded.

Rex laughed humorlessly, trying not to appear too annoyed. He was the one who practically spilled his life story to Max after all. He had no right to get upset.

“Well jeez, what _weren’t_ you told?”

“We were only told what was necessary...” He reassured. “Which might not be as much as you think. Not even what their work consisted of. I have no doubt your privacy was respected as much as possible.”

“Huh.” He made a noise of surprise, folding his arms over his chest. “Thought Tennyson would have dragged my name through the mud by now. Figured he would have warned everyone about what an evil guy I really am.”

“That… doesn’t sound like him. Unless you’ve done something to warrant distrust.” Rook frowned.

So he wasn’t a dastardly menace in farmer boy’s eyes. “I _was_ just trying to steal. You’re not so great at your job, buddy.”

Rook’s eyes crinkled, once again amused by him.

“I suppose that would qualify as a misdemeanor.” He agreed. “If you’d been successful.”

Rex scoffed, feigning offense.

“You making fun of me? Just wait, dude. You’re going to look one day and all the snack machines are going to be cleaned out. You won’t be laughing then.”

“I am not laughing now.” He said, expression growing solemn. “Is that a threat?”

Rex hesitated.

“It was a joke.”  Rook smiled again, putting him at ease. “But you really shouldn't say those things.”

“Ha. Funny.”

“Are you unaccustomed to the food?”  

“Not really, no. I mean yes. _Yeah,_ I’m not used to a lot of it, ” Rex looked at him questioningly.  “Why?”

“You were getting a snack rather than eating at the mess hall.” He clarified. “I can empathize with you. There are many Earth foods I could never quite develop a taste for.”

His words reminded Rex that he wasn’t the only one away from home. The headquarters may have orbited Earth, but he knew that not everyone here was from there. It was an obvious fact, he simply hadn’t given thought about how his experience might have been a shared one. Not completely the same, but… similar. In some capacity, many of the people here were like him, though it was obvious that Rook had already grown used to being in a foreign environment. It was touching how he was making an effort to understand where he was coming from.

“I’d just kill for something I can recognize,” Rex paused after speaking, and rethought his choice of words. “Not literally by the way.”

“I’m familiar with a few of the Earth towns.” He offered. “I can take you there if you’d like. You may find something that’s similar to what you remember from home.”  

“Is that allowed? Leaving headquarters?” 

“As long as you have a Plumber acting as an escort. I don’t see why not.”

“Tennyson won’t like it.”

“Ben is _not_ the only active Plumber.”

Ooh. Did Rex accidentally touch a nerve? There was something that creeped into Rook’s tone. He swore it was annoyance, except he couldn’t be sure from how emotionally collected he kept. Jealousy maybe? That someone else was in the limelight? He didn’t know the alien well enough that he could form an accurate guess. He hoped that it was something negative though. He needed at least one ally against Ben around here. The place was crawling with bootlicking hero worshipers. And though Rex had been exposed to some of his fans through the conversations of others, he didn’t actually see him around very often. Not in person anyway, and the more he saw him on television, the more he began to learn that Ben spent less time as himself and more as other creatures.

His absence didn’t allow him to drop his guard. He wouldn’t put it passed him to have found some paranoid-freakish way of keeping tabs on him.

“Let’s hit the town then.” Rex agreed.

 

** *** **

 

“Why don’t you like Tennyson?” Rex asked without preamble as they walked the sleepy streets of Bellwood.

It was strange. The chocolate wasn’t the only thing swapped for his taste buds. While he was able to find a recognizable meal, a hotdog and a mango smoothie, they weren’t _right._ The orangey taste of his smoothie was something he excused because it wasn’t unheard of for smoothie places to mix their drinks, and it easily could have been that they didn’t wash their blender. But he swore that something about his hotdog was strange. Not bad though, as he was able to finish the entire thing.

“Is that the impression I gave you? It isn’t that I dislike him.” Rook pulled his own drink away from his mouth. “That could not be further from the truth. Ben and I are partners… But lately, it might not seem that way, as we have not worked together much.”

For real? Rex lowered his cup and stared at him, feeling a mix of emotions he was unable to process all at once. The main one being betrayal. Guess that made it clear why Rook immediately knew who he was. This was turning out just like his relationship with Noah, huh? Guess he really couldn’t make friends the normal way. His fingers dug tiny crescent marks into his Styrofoam cup.

“He put you up to this?” Rex demanded.

Rook didn’t follow, blinking at him a couple of times. “Pardon?”

“Tennyson. Did he ask you to keep tabs on me?”

“No, nothing like that.” He was quick to shoot down. “I only happened to run into you. Nothing more.”

Oh. Now he felt stupid. Of course it couldn’t have been set up, he realized with slight embarrassment. Why would he be so honest about the fact that they knew each other if this had all been planned?

“You believe that Ben… dislikes you?” Rook asked him, since it wasn’t the first time he alluded to the man in question.

“I know he does, just don’t ask me why. I haven't seen him in years.” But he definitely thought of him during their time apart. It was lonely when the world was on your shoulders. The only person he thought might have shared his grief was Tennyson. But apparently he'd made up their entire relationship because he was pathetic. Like the rest of Ben's admirers who got all cow-eyed over him.

“When I met him I just really… really admired--” He cut himself off and wondered why he was admitting that aloud. It was the truth of course, but he flushed and mentally kicked himself for saying it. Last impression he wanted to give was that he was a part of Ben’s little fan group.

“I admired him too.” Rook confessed, not ashamed unlike him. “When I was first assigned to be his partner, perhaps too much than what was probably deserved. Some of the awe faded as I grew to know him.”

Rex took a brief drink of his smoothie. “He’s different from when I met him. What happened to him? Do you know?”

Rook was his partner. If anyone knew it would have been him.

The alien however was tight lipped on the subject. “I do not think that it is my place to tell you. I don’t like the idea of gossiping about him. He is still my friend.”

What a great guy. Rex didn’t press the subject any further and left it at that.

“You’re a good friend.” He told Rook, not a compliment just a statement.

“Thank you.” He said nonetheless. “But it isn’t about that. It’s… courteous not to talk about someone behind their back. I would do the same for you.”

“So does that mean we’re not friends?” Just checking.

“We are... friends. But I would still feel the same were we not.”

After taking one last sip from his strange smoothie, Rex tossed the cup into a curbside garbage bin and continued walking, his eyes exploring the town. He did a bit of people watching, observing the civilians act so neighborly toward each other. Being a part of a community, to belong somewhere, was always a nice feeling. He could picture a snotty, pint-sized Tennyson running up and down the side walks.

“You ever miss Revorhana?” He asked Rook thoughtlessly.

“Do I miss what?”

“Your home.”

“Oh. It's actually _Revonnah._ And yes, I do miss it.”

“But you wanted to be a space cop.”

“Yes,” Rook agreed, though Rex’s choice of words seemed to strike him as funny. “A... _‘space cop_.’ My father was certainly not pleased.”

“You do it to piss him off or something?” Rex asked. People did a number of things to get noticed, such as acting out, especially if it was to catch a loved one's attention. But choosing an entire profession because of that would be a little far. He didn't think Rook had done so, but he knew of people who might have. Perhaps Rook didn't even want to anger his dad because he _loved_ him. It was just a guess, but he was bad at making guesses.

“That is not why I became a Plumber…” He trailed off, so yeah he was wrong. “I imagine he is more accepting of my choice now. When my sister expressed her wishes to join the ranks, he told her he was proud and gave her his blessing.”

“That's great!” Rex wished things were that simple for him whenever anyone disapproved of his own life choices. “Your relationship isn't strained anymore.”

“I suppose.” But there was still something lurking beneath the surface of his calm.

It must have felt awful for him, to see a sibling easily gain the approval of their parent when it wasn't so readily given to him. Rook had to fight for that, because it was the elder brother who lead the way for their siblings. Rex wondered if that was what he was thinking about, but didn't vocalize this assumption. Because he was bad at making inferences. Because that crossed the line of getting a little too personal. Rook wasn't asking too deeply about his own family’s history after all, so he was kindly going to do the same.

“What was that thing they make on your planet?” Rex changed the subject. “Amber ooga? Gotta say, alien food’s not my favorite but you're making me wanna try it.”

Not at all a lie either.

“Amber Ogia.” He patiently corrected. “It is not made, it’s grown. I'll remember to let you try it the next time I have some in my possession.”

“Thanks.”


End file.
